aw, 
© 
© 
= 
how 
oD) 
cs oa 
is 
© 
— 
faa) 





wo ye pete 











aa) 


By 


we 
€ 








*" eh Hr ey 


; = bene 
Pee bea* 
ae ee i 

Rem 








‘vanod ‘ONVINOS VWiIva ‘bz6I ‘Ol AUVNUAIA ‘NSILdya 





| 
Be 


THE ROAD TO> 
BROTHERHOOD 


COMPILED AND EDITED BY THE 
DEPARTMENT OF MISSIONARY EDUCATION 
‘) OF THE 
BAPTIST BOARD OF EDUCATION 


PUBLISHED BY THE 
BAPTIST BOARD OF EDUCATION 
DEPARTMENT OF MISSIONARY EDUCATION 
276 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY. 


COPYRIGHT, 1924, 
BY THE 
BAPTIST BOARD OF EDUCATION 
DEPARTMENT OF MISSIONARY EDUCATION 


Printed in the United States of America 


Contents 


My Faitru—Robert Russa Moton 

ForEworp—William A. Hill . 

PreFacE—Katherine S. Westfall . 
Charles L. White . 


INTRODUCTION—Racial Codperation—Frank 
L, Anderson a a pe 


CHAPTER 
I SoucHtT AMERICA FOR Gotp—Founb CHRIST 
(The Story of Lee To, “Mayor of 
Chinatown,’ New York City )—Coe 
Hayne , a eae 
II My ExXpeERIENCE WITH RELIGION—AMERI- 


ca’s Girt To ME (The Story of a Rou- 
manian’s Faith)—Vasile Prodan . 


III FRom SLAvery Days TO CHRISTIAN LEADER- 
sHip (The Life Story of Mrs. Virginia 
Walker Broughton)—Ada F. Morgan . 


IV EvGene KInckte Jones (A Negro Leader’s 
Contribution to Racial Adjustment )— 
Charles S. Johnson . 


V_ A Bripce ofr Fartu (An American Girl’s 
Memories of a Japanese Consul)— 
Esther M. McCollough . 


VI A Kiowa DaucHTErR oF THE Kinc (The 
Beautiful Christian Life of an Indian 
Girl)—Harriet R. King . 


[iii] 


Il 


16 


57 


68 


75 


Contents 





CHAPTER PAGE 
VII Marro Discovers AMERICA (How God Led 
an Italian Boy to Be a saaaey A. It 
Domenica tin Fe 03 2) le a ae a 


VIII 1. BorpDER BrorHERHOOD (A Reliable Foun- 
dation for International Relations )— 
A Eo EMO eens tae 98 


2. THE TEST OF BROTHERHOOD (oveeias 
ing Racial Barriers on the Mission 
Field)—Charles S. Detweiler . . 104 


IX HIGHWAYS TO THE FRIENDLY Heart (A 
Three-part Story of a Christian Italian 
Boy)—Coe Hayne... oi LIA 
1. In Bondage to the Dead Gentine 
2. The Open Road 
2/.Le ena a He Shall Be 

As I Am” 


X 1. THe Cristian CENTER AS AN IN- 
FLUENCE IN BREAKING Down RACIAL 


BARRIERS—John M. Hestenes : 142 
2. CHRISTIAN CENTER ACTIVITIES—A dah H. 
Boyce ake hs) gen SS PARE Te? Sat ad 


A PRAYER—Jung Bahadur BecMaietid Field- 
brave) ; 162 


Liv] 


List of Illustrations 


Baptism, iat 10, isis Palma Soriano, 


Cuba. |. Pide iret PRONE PLECE 
PAG 

Class in English for Chinese—Rev. Lee To, y 
teacher—The Bible used as textbook . . 12 


Miss Mabel Lee, Ph.D., Columbia University. 
Daughter of a Home Missionary. Educated 
in America for work in China . . . I4 


Roumanian Department International Baptist 
Seminary, East Orange, N. J. Prof. Vasile 


Prodan (sitting) . 20 
A Negro Cabin in the Southland it ERE ARS SRN 
In front of the Japanese Women’s Home, Seattle, 

WV AGRIDULOT A yo Marui i a8 ore leila yb gr omonty CH Ops 


Former Japanese Consul Morinobu Hirota— 
Founder of a Christian Home . . . 72 


The Consul’s wife and child . Parkes 72 


Satonka, the old war chief, killed near ae Sil 
in 1873. Father of Mrs, Jule: Hunts en tmogO 


Mrs. Julia Hunt with catreierrsp ar Caroline 
RMI erry s : euro 


Rev. Francesco Se tk a group of aide 
of the Daily Vacation Bible School, First 
Italian Baptist Church, New Haven, Con- 
necticut. Women missionary workers in the 
background Goi) Moan NLS sila reat plat abel Ae Ever) 


Dispensary—Typical scene in Christian Center 
RINE eek gh MCh neg hr eUn ee, any EN ee OAD 


[v] 


a's ay 





My Faith 


I believe in my own people—in their native 
worth—in their attainments of character, accom- 
plishment and service—and their ultimate high des- 
tiny in the progress of mankind. 

I believe in my fellow-men of all races—in their 
right to an equal chance to share in all the good of 
this world—and my obligation to respect to the full 
their person and their personality. 

I believe in the essential goodness of human im- 
pulses—in the instinctive desire to do what is just 
and right—and the will to respond to the noblest 
appeals. 

I believe in the power of good over evil—the 
power of love over hate—the power of truth over 
error—and in the final and complete triumph of 
right over wrong. 

I believe in freedom—in freedom to live one’s life 
to the full—to serve wherever there is need—to 
achieve the limit of divine endowment. : 

I believe in patience—in the beneficent workings 
of time—that a Providence, wise and good, will, 
with the years, bring fruition to earnest hopes and 
honest strivings. 

[ vii | 


My Faith 


I believe in the fellowship of men of good will— 
in their ability to live together in peace—and to co- 
operate in service and in the pursuit of truth. 

I believe in my friends—who know my strength 
and my weakness—their confidence is my inspiration 
—their loyalty my comfort—their approbation my 
greatest earthly satisfaction. 

I believe in God—in His purposes of good toward 
all men—and the ultimate triumph of His justice 
and righteousness in all the earth. 

RoserT Russa Moron, 
President, Tuskegee Institute. 


[viii] 


Foreword 
WILLIAM A. Hiti 


The race question is no longer isolated, sectional 
or provincial. The very idea of an international 
court of justice lifts it out of obscurity. What races 
may do to help each other is the noble idea which 
emerges. 

It is now a well-established principle in the work 
of foreign missions that the training and employ- 
ment of native missionaries is essential to mission- 
ary achievement. This principle also has become 
operative in the work of home missions. The train- 
ing of native leaders is, therefore, the immediate 
task of the Christian church. The International 
Baptist Seminary, whose president earnestly speaks 
in the introductory chapter of this book, superbly 
illustrates in a most vital way the embodiment of 
this principle in our home mission work. 

This book contains the true life stories of a few 
Baptist leaders, who, representing different races 
and having received the gift of life eternal, are 
hastening to offer this gift to their own racial 
groups. These men and women are some of the 
living links in racial relations. 


[ix] 


Foreword 





Here is a series of real biographical studies, and 
whether told by the author or his observer,- each 
story has its own native setting and charm. The 
reader of these stories will not miss three things: 
the work of grace in the lives of these representa- 
tives of their races; their successful struggles for 
education against great obstacles; and their influ- 
ential and effective leadership among their own peo- 
ples in the building of a Christian Commonwealth 
in America. 

In the study of the race question we believe that 
the material in this book is indispensable for teach- — 
ers and leaders of study classes and Church Schools 
of Missions. We commend to all Baptists every- 
where this series of life pictures of those who are 
showing the way of Christ in race relations. © 

We are especially indebted to the official repre- 
sentatives of The American Baptist Home Mission 
Society and the Woman’s American Baptist Home 
Mission Society for their assistance in the prepara- 
tion and assembling of these materials. 


[x] 


Preface 
By KaTHERINE S. WESTFALL 


(Executive Secretary of the Woman’s American 
Baptist Home Mission Society) 


Heart stories are always enticing, but when the 
stories tell of real people, representing to some de- 
gree the nations of the world, they must make an 
appeal both interesting and convincing; interesting 
because they are filled with romance, achievements 
of the seeming impossible; convincing because they 
illustrate the power of the gospel unto salvation, and 
the helpful service of men and women who have 
spent and been spent for the sake of others. 

In imagination one can see the endless procession 
of people from many lands as they pass across the 
country, a priceless gift to America. Christian 
America is richer, finer, greater for their coming in- 
sofar as it helped them understand its ideals, to 
make the best use of all it has to offer, and above all 
to come to know Christ through his followers. 

The stranger to-day may be the leader of to-mor- 
row and it is a priceless gift to be permitted to be- 
friend those who in the future will return the gift 
in a high service for God and for the nation. 


[xi] 


hee 

BENT hy we Pre Al tube Hed 

> We q A& Ji ‘ mh Dee ¢ 
, . : 4a 


Be eek TRS ae, 





Preface 
By CuHartes L, WHITE 


(Executive Secretary of The American Baptist 
Home Mission Society) 


The Society finds itself facing a missionary task 
of world proportions in a nation more extensively 
polyglot than any other country in the world. In- 
deed our missionary work seems never to be com- 
pleted, even within a given area. A study of the 
changes of populations within a certain city shows 
that sections of the city which were formerly popu- 
lated by Germans and Scandinavians, have been suc- 
cessively occupied by several other racial groups, 
among each of which the Society and the coopera- 
ting Convention or City Mission Society has car- 
ried on missionary work; doubtless the end of such 
racial swarmings within that area has not been 
reached. 

Among twenty-two nationalities our missionaries 
are dealing with their own racial groups, and these 
groups are learning more and more to cooperate with 
each other. Friendships between missionaries of 
various racial groups are strong and abiding, al- 


[ xiii | 


Preface 





though such races in Europe have been historic 
enemies. The love of Christ among our missionaries 
has constrained them to forget their inherited 
prejudices. They are indeed being melted together 
in their spiritual devotion toa common Lord. Spir- 
itual processes now going forward, which result 
from the consecrated work of our foreign-speaking 
missionaries, contain within themselves spiritual po- 
tencies and the promise of a brighter day. What 
God is planning for America and for the world 
through America’s influence, which in the future 
must more and more be exerted for the spiritual 
transformation of the nations of the earth, will be 
assisted in its fulfillment by our devoted Baptist mis- 
sionaries who, in the face of untold difficulties and 
perplexities, are interpreting with fine spirit and self- 
denial the precious gospel of our Lord. 


[xiv | 


Introduction 
RACIAL COOPERATION 
By FRANK L. ANDERSON 


Dr. Frank L. Anderson is the Presi- 
dent of the International Baptist Seminary, 
maintained by The American Baptist Home 
Mission Society at East Orange, N. J., for 
the training of Christian workers among 
foreign-speaking peoples. The Seminary 
has departments for seven distinct racial 
groups. 


A great student of man has said recently that “it 
seems that no one can handle the question of race 
in cold blood. The literature of the subject is un- 
usually tart, bristling with thrusts and counter- 
thrusts. We find pro-Nordics and anti-Nordics, 
pro-yellow and anti-yellow, pro-hybrid and anti- 
hybrid, etc., engaged in a war of words and occa- 
sionally of deeds” (Clark Wissler, “Man and Cul- 
ture,” p. 284). During the Great War the great- 
ness of all the people on the side of the Allies was 
exalted to such a high point that probably the pres- 
ent antagonisms have come naturally as reactions 


[1] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


from our temporary ecstasies. We got so over- 
heated in our enthusiasms that our weak mortal 
frame could not endure the strain. However, there 
may be something said that will temper the present 
spirit with mercy. 

In a time when racial antagonisms are extreme 
there may be a few things that are clear to all who 
may be involved. The writer ventures to make five 
statements evident to the earnest man and woman 
who in speech and in print create at least ere in- 
terest in the:question before us. 

It ts evident that there are inequalities among mn- 
dividuals. ‘“To the superficial observer all birds of 
a given species look alike. In reality they are not 
alike” (Carl Kelsey, “The Physical Basis of So- 
ciety,” p. 276). It is true of owls; it is just as true 
of people, the Declaration of Independence to the 
contrary. The slogan of the French Revolution | 
was Liberty; Equality; Fraternity. That slogan 
modified on the basis of what the French actually 
believed, and the facts of life, should be changed 
into Liberty; Inequality; Fraternity. Surely the 
men of 1776 in our country did not believe in the 
equality of manas man. They had too much sense ~ 
for that. But it was a good word for the move- 
ment to back what the patriots wanted to have 
accomplished in their relation, to the British. It has 
been a fine sentiment in the North during past 


[2] 


Introduction 


decades when those above the famous Mason and 
Dixon Line have grown eloquent over the sins of 
the South. But in recent years the Negro has be- 
come a near neighbor of the Christian or humani- 
tarian orator. He has tried to give those same, 
once stirring orations, but the old fervor has some- 
how evaporated. He has had the feeling of Sam- 
son after a female barber had improved his looks, 
but not increased his strength. 

The specialist who works with and pleads for the 
foreigner in our cities while addressing missionary 
conventions or Kiwanis Clubs grows eloquent as he 
thinks of the unfair treatment given these strangers. 
His audience, comfortably located outside the danger 
zone, grows intense at the thought of the unbroth- 
erly treatment the Pole, Slovak, Hungarian, Italian, 
Russian, or Hebrew receives from the Americans 
famous all over the world for fair play. But when 
that same speaker goes into a checkered community 
that is increasingly becoming Europeanized he does 
not find that his talk is received with the same en- 
thusiasm. These hearers are just as honest, just as 
fair, but they know how their own neighborhood 
has changed and how their own real estate has de- 
preciated. | 

There is a sense in which no two men are equal. 
God working naturally, seemingly has made it im- 
possible. The world would be the poorer if they 


[3] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





were. The world is more interesting and richer be- 
cause of inequalities. Nature has no duplicates. 
Every person is a new edition of mankind, the like 
was never seen before. Let us recognize what is 
evident all about us and so build solidly. 

It is evident that there is inequality among the 
races and nations. The Negro is not the equal of the 
white man, the Slav is not the equal of the Latin, the 
Latin is not the equal of the Teuton, the Teuton is 
not the equal of the Mongolian. The scholar quoted 
at the beginning says that “in the same sense as the © 
individual counts, that one man is not so good as an- 
other, so the race counts.” Looking back over his 
masterly discussion he remarks that the purpose “has 
been to show that there are indirect evidences of 
racial inequality.” (Carl Wissler, “Man and Cul- 
ture,” pp. 295, 296.) Virgil, whose dominant pur- 
pose was to interpret the glories of Rome, was scien- 
tific enough, even while writing a great poem, to 
recognize inequalities among the nations, that even 
Rome was not equal to others in some respects. He 
sings : 


“Others will mold their breezes to breathe with a 
tenderer grace, . 


Plead at the bar more deftly, with sapient wands 
of the wise, 


[4] 


Introduction 





Thine, O Roman, remember, to reign over every 
race! 

These be thine arts, thy glories, the ways of peace 
to proclaim.” 


The Nordics, the Alpine, the Mediterranean, the 
Mongolians, the blacks and the whites are not equal; 
they are only different. Every race, every group of 
people has points of superiority as compared with 
other groups on the same point. One group may be 
inferior to another and at the same time superior. 
The Nordics are not superior to the Mongolians 
when it. comes to patience in hard work, nor can they 
compete with the Mediterranean in the fine arts. It 
may not be difficult on the other hand to discover 
where the Nordic is superior to either the Mon- 
golian or the Mediterranean. The Negro, who was 
but recently delivered from slavery, has characteris- 
tics that the white man might well covet. Professor 
Giddings calls attention to the racial differences, or 
we may call them superiorities, in the following 
comparisons: “The Mediterranean stocks are emo- 
tionally quick, easily excited, and as easily quieted. 
The Baltic peoples are slower to awaken, but their 
feelings once aroused are persistent. The Alpine 
stocks, differing from both the Mediterranean and 
the Baltic, are slow, contemplative, and tender- 
hearted.”’ (“Descriptive and Historical Sociology,” 


PP. 204-205. ) 
[5] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


You remember Emerson’s little poem on the quar- 
rel between the mountain and the squirrel. In a 
very sensible way the squirrel settled the dispute by 
saying : 

“Talents differ ; all is well and wisely put; 

If I cannot carry forests on my back, 

Neither can you crack a nut.” 
If men had the sense of the squirrel they would 
cease discussing the superiority or inferiority of the 
several races. They would discover the strong 
points in their own armor, also their weak points. 
Then they would compare point with point and ap- 
preciate that every race has its limitations and every 
race has its superior talents. They would soon learn 
that among the inequalities there are enough strong 
points to keep them encouraged and there are enough 
weak points to keep every race humble. | 

It 1s evident that if we are to make headway in 
racial cooperation we must face the basic facts of 
life. 

Advocates never see more than is prudent for their 
side of the argument. When vocabulary precedes 
thinking and scientific investigation, the people are 
led astray. Under those circumstances fairness and © 
common sense must get under cover as best they 
may. We must deal squarely with the differences 
that exist in the races. In that field we must con- 
quer—or fail entirely. There the discussion must 


[6] 


Introduction 


center. But when we are persecuted in the field of 
the differences we flee to the unities where there are 
no problems to settle for they never arise there. 

Fighting against facts is not the way to win vic- 
tories for God and humanity. Even the Christ- 
spirit does not ask us to do that. Whenever hu- 
manitarian or Christian movements have disregarded 
the truth as it is in the differing groups of people in 
the world, the very people who were expected to 
profit were actually injured. 

The tremendous changes that have taken place 
and are taking place in the realm of education have 
grown out of the study of those who are to be edu- 
cated. Educators face the facts discernible in the 
capacities of the boys and girls and then change the 
curriculum accordingly. What is taking place in the 
relation of educational agencies to human nature 
must permeate all instrumentalities that have for 
their aim the encouragement of brotherliness and co- 
operation among men who would bring in the “state- 
lier Eden,” 

Tt 1s evident that 1t is sheer folly to set races 
against one another because they are different or un- 
equal in capacity. One of the greatest books ever 
written on the relation of the blacks and the whites 
is “The Basis of Ascendancy.” The author, Edgar 
G. Murphy, was a prominent Christian layman in 
Montgomery, Alabama. The book helps in the under- 


[7] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





standing of the relations between other races as well. 
He says, “In the fundamental sense we can no more 
make a bi-racial division of our civilization than we 
can make a bi-racial division of the sunshine, the 
rain, the returning seasons.” “Just as the Negro 
shares in the uses of every paved street, of every 
well-constructed country road, of every railway, of 
every public utility of every sort—facilities chiefly 
demanded and supported by the commerce and inter- 
course of the stronger race—so he enters also, how- 
ever humbly or indirectly, into the heritage of every 
intellectual and moral asset of the country.” After 
speaking of the various agencies through which the 
whites cooperate he says that “these are the Negro’s. 
Insofar as they are ours, they are his; insofar as 
they are not his, they tend, in subtle, inexorable 
fashion, not to be our own” (p. 12). The same 
writer says on another page, “You cannot found the 
integrity of one race in the aversions of another 
race’ (p. 110). It has been tried but has never 
permanently succeeded. Social classes which are 
just as exclusive as racial groupings—if not more 
so—have proudly determined to defend their an- 
tagonisms in order to maintain their integrity. The 
Patricians of ancient Rome soon saw that they 
needed the Plebeians who had separated from their 
superiors. Gradually the two groups realized that 
their policy of exclusiveness was impossible. 


[3] 


Introduction 


What if the foreigner were to act on the spirit of 
some writers, speakers, and politicians, and with- 
draw? It would create a panic in the industries, and 
bank after bank would go to the wall. That is not 
all, our boasted democracy would become a hissing 
and a byword among the nations of the world. 
America would lose her soul, and the world an in- 
spiring example and a guiding light. The world— 
and America too—has had enough of antagonisms 
on the basis of differences. There must be a “more 
excellent way.” 

It is evident that the only wise way is to cooperate 
for the good of all and so fulfill the law of Chnst. 
This does not involve leveling down, nor lifting the 
valleys to the plane of the tops of the mountains. 
There will be mountains and there will be valleys; 
there will be racial superiorities and there will 
be racial inferiorities. It will not be the co- 
operation of equals. It will be the cooperation 
of men and women with one, two, and five talents, 
and the cooperation of races of one, two, and 
five talents in the making of a Christian Amer- 
ica and the establishment of a Kingdom of God 
among all sorts and conditions, among all types 
of mind, of culture, of social and religious values. 
Professor Ellwood in his searching work on “The 
Reconstruction of Religion,” says, “Cooperation is 
more dependent upon inner attitudes and ideals than 


[9] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


upon external forms and machinery” (p. 226). 
Again he says, “Our civilization still halts between 
the ideal of a society based upon force and the ideal 
of a society based upon good will or Christian love” 
(p. 293). Force is half brother of that autocratic, 
proud sense of superiority on the part of one group 
towards another. The Reverend H. H. Hatanaka 
of Japan said at the Indianapolis Convention of 
Student Volunteers, “The task of foreign missions 
is a task of uniting peoples, nations, and races in a 
common fellowship and brotherhood.” Is not that 
the task of home missions? Is it not the task of the 
Christian church all over the world? Professor 
Shirley J. Case, describing the early church in his 
essay on ““The Social Origins of Christianity,” says, 
“Racial and national differences also. disappear as 
Jews, Syrians, Greeks, and persons of any race min- 
gle together in the Christian communities” (p. 133). 
A new enthusiasm for humanity overcame these peo- 
ple as they were followers of Christ and so brethren 
ina larger fellowship. There were varieties of gifts, 
individually and racially, but one spirit. 

In that perfected human society on earth described 
by visions of the seer of Patmos the nations of the ~ 
world would bring their glories, their superiorities, 
into it, all contributing to the glorious Kingdom 
that could not be complete if any race or people did 
not give of its gold, silver, and precious stones. 


[10] 


I 


Sought America for Gold— 
Found Christ 


(The Story of Lee To, “Mayor of Chinatown,” 
New York City) 


By CoE HayNE 


One night the idols disappeared from the Chinese 
temple on Mott Street, Lower Manhattan. The mem- 
bers of the powerful Chinese Association led by 
their chairman had decided that the joss was no 
longer necessary as a feature in their council hall. 
The shrines with their tinsel and glitter and cheap 
gaudiness were un-American and un-Christian. The 
man responsible for this change, a Christian and ac- 
quainted with the best in American social and re- 
ligious life, was Lee To, a missionary of the Ameri- 
can Baptist Home Mission Society and the New 
York City Baptist Mission Society. He had won his 
fight in the face of Chinese traditions many ages 
old. 

When Lee To was asked to accept the chairman- 
ship of the Chinese Benevolent Association that held 
jurisdiction over all Chinese from Chicago to the 
Atlantic Coast, he told the nominating committee 


[rr] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


frankly that he was a Christian and would conduct 
the office, if elected, in a manner that accorded with 
his conception of Christian ideals. For many years 
the association had sent to China for the best man 
available to head the organization’s work in the 
United States. In view of this custom Lee To’ 
warned the association that old country nations must 
give way before acceptable western ideals. | 

During four years this Christian clergyman pre- 
sided at the conferences of the Chinese Association. 
After serving the first term of two years a long es- 
tablished precedent was broken when he was elected 
to serve a second term. He is to-day consulted in 
matters of most vital interest by his countrymen east 
of the Mississippi. He has been called to Chicago 
and Minneapolis to give the benefit of his counsel in 
matters relating to the dealings of Chinese with one 
another. His influence grows with the years. He 
is known in New York City as the Mayor of China- 
town. 

Mr. Lee, born in Canton, China, came to America © 
in 1880 and was converted in a mission in San Fran- 
cisco in 1890. He says: “I came to this country to 
get gold; never satisfied. I found Christ; was satis- 
fied.””’ In 1898 he was given his first appointment 
under the American Baptist Home Mission Society 
and has been in service continuously ever since. 

With a true appreciation of the worth of the in- 


[12] 


“MOOd-LXAL SV GaASN WIMId AHL ‘WAHOVAL ‘OL AAT ‘ATA “ASANIHO YOA HSITONGA NI SSW 








‘ > . . 24 
ee 2) 
; .~J 
ww) = t q < 
. 
; > a 1 . ’ ee ee 
4 \ 
: 4 > 
J —é ~ 
b \ bs 
; 2 J aa § 
, 
» i 4 uit sal 
’ 1, cs 
2 = +4 
, a 
- ? 2 i ee 
, 7 
3 te , 
; 2 2 ; : 
pp ‘ = 
+ i y 
° =f ' 
} ‘ 
CS f 
a | ay 
’ +. j 
i 
i 
4 4 
i" J 
, 
\ b = . Z 
+ 3 ia? 
2 6. ck ‘4 [ F 
‘ ' “ a “4 
= + ey ; y 2A ed 
‘ t , 
i < i‘: 
= e — . 
+ . - ie “ 
§ «= 
a4 4 7 
: rf r @ secs 
: ‘ "Ge Pi 
‘ -& 
— a. is 
. ‘ ° t 
44 
, F Tk 
i - Te 
‘ ‘ j ye . 
‘ io , , A 
t rae ' s ‘ 
2 ‘ + 
x e , ‘ : 
‘ . * 
: - ; 
‘ SS ; >) 
- & . . 
* a : 
4 ' Jae 
st . 






<i i¥ hue ‘ wi * 
-.< > on 
Pais on al ee : J 


a : . ; 
at? p 
“ - 
rad 2 on 1 7 f > . — << : 
rg - 4 14 ' 
i " ; . halle ‘ mA 
hi UJ . vi i 
bs 
‘ f 4: 
‘ , ae, 
fe J , 7 Z , 
3 ee As . 
é “i \ 
e - 


¥ t _ 
‘ ee | - \4 
: + 75, ‘ 
M s 
‘ i». ‘ / 
a5 - Ts 4 : J 
i 4 ‘ é 5 i 
p ; of 4 
ee a UF) ; ne ar 
ee oP | Pik " =* r.” s 
oe . y ‘ : 
i i. es . J ‘ ¥ n> i. | 


Sought America for Gold; Found Christ 


dividual soul Mr. Lee has made a place for himself 
in the hearts of his countrymen by never refusing to 
leave his home or office at any time of day or night 
in answer to appeals for help. During the years he 
has taught many classes in English, using the Bible 
as a text book. He has lent his aid in the establish- 
ment of Sunday Schools in the churches in Man- 
hattan, Brooklyn and Queens Boroughs and in 
Newark, N. J. Street preaching has featured his 
ministry. Some of his converts are members of the 
Trust God Club, an organization made up of Chris- 
tian Chinese, the initiation in which is conditioned 
upon the payment of $100 toward a fund to support 
a mission in China. 

Mr. Lee has long cherished the hope that a com- 
munity house may be erected in Chinatown where the 
Chinese can meet their neighbors and visiting friends 
in Christian surroundings for wholesome pastimes 
and recreation, to engage with others in the study 
of English and other subjects, and, best of all, to 
learn of Christ and His way. 

Mr. Lee has pleaded with the concerns owning 
sight-seeing busses that bring month by month thou- 
sands of tourists into Chinatown to require their 
guides to tell the truth about the Chinese. The Chi- 
nese have had occasion to resent the continual ad- 
vertisement of their community as the vice center of 
New York City. Much harm has been done the 


[13] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


Chinese by a misrepresentation of the Chinese char- 
acter in motion pictures. 

Miss Mabel Lee, daughter of Rev. Lee To, a grad- 
uate from Barnard College, was given the degree of 
Doctor of Philosophy by Columbia University in 
1923. Itis her desire to devote her life in behalf of 
her people in China. On March 28, 1923, she went 
to France to study European economics, in fuller 
preparation of her life work in her native land. Just 
before sailing, in an interview, she made a plea for 
her countrymen who live in unfavorable conditions 
in that curiously neglected portion of New York 
City called Chinatown. 

“Why the proverbial Chinatown with its dirty, 
dingy streets and basements?’ asked. Miss Lee. 
“Who built these dingy, unsanitary houses and dark 
cellars? The Chinese or their New York land- 
lords? | | 

“One necessarily hesitates at the idea of going to 
Chinatown,” she continued. “Why? Not because 
of the Chinese, but of the place itself. The Bowery 
is too well known to need elaboration. A word may 
be added that Mulberry Park was created when the 
city had to burn down the houses on that site be- . 
cause they contained too many thieves and assassins! 

“The place is the worst possible without one Chi- 
nese. And we all unconsciously blame the Chinese 
for Chinatown. 

[14] 


— 





MISS MABEL LEE, PH.D., COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. DAUGHTER OF A 
HOME MISSIONARY. EDUCATED IN AMERICA FOR WORK IN CHINA. 


2 


RY if aia Whi Reineal Pah 


ih 4 Ne 
ne ae Pa 


yea! Ks £) “iy. 
PSA TIKI wher aes 
aC Ato! i) Wh tes re f a ‘ c 






' ‘ 
ob 4% Fol / nA 
a / it) is ve HVE ob 309) 

\ ira i ( hah D5 ee | Be \ 
Ns ot! » Ne : raw. Ta 
i ea iPr ye oe ae 
- (iw ees fi ey 5 + 
hs \ ; ’ i1 ) . 4 
“Ieted ORMNE 0 
-4 ih we te ; ; ‘ 
am P| ; ~ 
SAT t ' 
Rr eet 
t Fahy of 
#j ies Se Hh . 
, ey a tes ; 
Lhe ay ; 
- ohne | ’ ¢ 
ri 
bib i yy? > 
uae - 
ell go - \ _ 
Li ue 
7 { 
‘ i + - 
ie 
' 1 a 
st, | at sf 
ny ( «9 F 
sf 
{ 4 
EP 
’ 
: 
1 ? 
rs 
: “e 
bs / 
~% 
1 . Ly = s 
y 7 plat F 
A ? Ce J 
ms 9 ; 
.] = 
: Mi 
ae ' 
tnag art 
t - # 
ra 
i ite 
4 : B+: 
“ : 
5% 
’ +" 
j us 
i 
Nig) 
wt t id 
iy ck ' 
uF 
yy pe ‘ 
Th ebe i 
t : t 
SPO tl , 5 ‘ 
44° ites : . 





as 
Tis 
=. 
* 
a, 
. 
es 


Sought America for Gold; Found Christ 


“It would not be strange if they indeed became a 
real part of the neighborhood people, for education- 
ists and psychologists all tell the importance of en- 
vironment. Once in a while you hear of a bad 
Chinese, and that fact becomes very prominent in the 
newspapers because it is so rare. The New York 
newspapers have murder cases every day and one 
never thinks anything of them, but many think all 
Chinese are bad because the bad one is the only one 
they ever hear about. 

“Representatives of the masses in China are al- 
ways coming to America to be trained and later go 
back as messengers to those at home. And what 
kind of persons have they been turned into by their 
experience? And you have trained them in the 
Bowery and in Mulberry Park and at the same time 
you are trying to attain world peace and bring the 
world to Christ. Mulberry Park was once the ren- 
dezvous of so many villains that the city had to burn 
it down to preserve the peace of New York, and 
now you are training, in the same place, representa- 
tives of the four hundred millions whom you would 
win for Christ. 

“This situation is something which I believe no 
one will willingly allow to continue unremedied. I 
believe that only Christianity and brotherly love will 
save the world. And the world cannot be won un- 
less we win China’s millions to Him,” 


[15] 


II 


My Experience with Religion— 
America’s Gift to Me 


(The Story of a Roumanian’s Faith) 
By VASILE PRODAN 


Rev. V. Prodan is head of the Roumanian 
Department of the International Baptist 
Seminary, East Orange, N. J. 


The Home of My Youth 


Moigrad, a small village in the heart of Transyl- 
vania, now a part of Greater Roumania, was my 
birthplace. Here, amidst the beauties of nature and | 
the relics of Roman civilization, 1 grew to young 
manhood. Although this whole valley is one of 
great beauty, I enjoyed my trips to Magura, the 
high hill a half mile east of Moigrad, more than all 
else. As I looked to the east from this hill, I saw 
the low, forest-covered mountains and the green val- _ 
leys alternating in endless succession until the eye 
could see no farther. On the north, I saw the same 
low mountains become lower and lower until they 
stretched out into a wide, level plain. Turning from 
the northern plains to the south, I saw, on a clear 


[16] 


My Experience with Religion 


summer day, the wonderful Carpathians, far in the 
distance, piercing the sky like a huge rooster’s comb. 
Beautiful as these scenes were, I enjoyed the south- 
west view best of all. When I turned my eyes in 
that direction, I saw the lower, forest-covered moun- 
tains rise higher and higher until they became the 
beautiful Western Mountains of ‘Transylvania. 
They never passed away, but remained there, like 
frozen, greenish-blue ocean waves. 

Another interesting place to me was the ruins of 
Porolissum, which were within sight of our village. 
They spoke to me of the sturdy stock from which 
the Roumanians have come. To-day, Porolissum 
has only a few inscriptions and the crumbling foun- 
dation stones of a Roman amphitheater and Roman 
fortifications, yet: it is a silent reminder of glorious 
days. After holding out successfully for years 
against the Roman legions, the Dacians were over- 
come by Trajan’s second expedition in 106 A.D. 
The Emperor divided Dacia, as Roumania was then 
called, into three divisions, naming each division 
from its chief city. Hence, Porolissum became the 
capital city of the northern part, Dacia Porolissensis. 
The Dacians and the Roman colonists quickly amal- 
gamated, and Roman civilization flourished for a 
century and a half. When the barbarian invaders, 
in 271 A.D., completely drove the Roman legions 
out of Dacia, the Romanized Dacians retreated into 


[17] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


the recesses of the Carpathians. There, for 1600 
years, they have kept their national entity, even 
though many of them have been, until 1919, under 
the rule of several foreign powers. 

Descended as I am from such a sturdy race of 
people and influenced by such far-reaching views of 
nature which gave hints of the regions beyond, it is 
no great wonder that my curiosity about the world 
outside developed early and grew stronger as I grew 
into young manhood. During this period of youth- 
ful curiosity I lived as all ordinary Roumanian boys 
do. I went to school in winter and cared for the 
cattle of my father and grandfather in the summer 
time. In our periods of recreation 1 went to the 
social gatherings of the young people where we 
played our games, sang our songs, and danced our 
folk-dances. I knew all of the folk-songs and could 
sing them very well; hence I was well-liked by the 


young people. 


My Early Religious Training 


My father was quite proud of my vocal ability and 
talked to me about singing in the church and lead- 
ing the liturgy with the priest. Since my parents 
were both very religious, I knew that they would be 
greatly pleased to have their oldest son become a 
cantor (one who sings the church songs and leads the 


[18] 


My Experience with Religion 


liturgy with the priest). Consequently, at the age 
of twelve, I began to learn the church songs from 
my uncle, George Prodan, an aged professor who 
had been retired by the government on pension. As 
soon as | had learned the eight melodies for the 
complete church services, my uncle took me with him 
into the church strana. “That little Prodan boy” 
who sang with the old men in the church was quite 
a curiosity to those who came to the services. For 
seven years I sang these eight services over and over 
again. At the same time I had an opportunity to 
know the clergy and the church officers quite well 
and to observe the effect of their religion upon their 
morals. | 

It is the custom in the Greek Catholic Church to 
have an Easter meal of fine bread soaked in wine 
during the Easter service. A little is given to the 
people, while the goodly portion that is left belongs 
to the priest and his cantors. Although I never ate 
enough of this Easter meal to intoxicate me, some of 
the cantors did become drunk and went reeling from 
the church. In the morning church service we sang 
“All day we should learn Thy righteous will, O 
Lord”; but we left the Lord’s will alone when we 
spent the entire Sunday afternoon in the village 
dance. Such was our religion and that of our lead- 
ers! We observed rituals and feasts and said our 
prayers, but our moral life was not changed. 


[19] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


Hearing About the Pocaitsi 


One day—I was about sixteen then, I think—my 
father came home with strange stories of a new re- 
ligion in a neighboring village. ‘These Pocaitsi 
(repented men),” he said, ‘don’t baptize their chil- 
dren until they can believe for themselves. Then 
they don’t sprinkle them as we do, but push them all 
the way down under the water.’”’ What were these 
things? Who were these strange people? I was 
full of curiosity. Before long, however, I found 
out more about them; for the Pocaitsi (the repented 
men are now called Baptists) came to a village near 
Moigrad and held a meeting there. After nine or 
ten people had been converted they had a baptismal 
service. The simple announcement of: the meeting 
was enough to draw a crowd. People from seven 
or eight villages thronged along the banks of the | 
stream and even climbed into the trees to see these 
people who were becoming “‘the children of the devil.” 
A priest, fearing the power of the gospel, had started 
this story, which spread like wild-fire among these 
superstitious villagers. According to his story those 
who left the true Mother Church to become Pocaitsi 
really became ‘‘the children of the devil’’ and were 
sealed with the devil’s mark on the right shoulder 
while they were under the water during their bap- 
tism. The priest who originated this story did not 


[20] 


es 


Sen 





ROUMANIAN DEPARTMENT, INTERNATIONAL BAPTIST SEMINARY, EAST 
ORANGE, N. J. PROF, VASILE PRODAN (SITTING). 


; ey 
«| ' 





My Experience with Religion 


know how soon his lie would be discovered. A few 
weeks later my aunt, who had been one of those 
baptized, came to see my mother. She arrived while 
my mother and a group of women were discussing 
the awful condition of those who became “the chil- 
dren of the devil.” My mother, wishing to see the 
devil’s mark, said, ‘‘Sister, is it true that the devil 
put his seal on your right shoulder?’ Baring her 
shoulder to those women my aunt proved to them 
that the story was false; but they still pitied her for 
leaving the true church. 

Repeated efforts, backed up with force, were em- 
ployed to stop the progress of the Baptists in Rou- 
mania. In another town one priest held his Bible 
up before his congregation and pointed out the 
words “Sfanta Scriptura’ (Holy Scripture). Then 
he told the people that they must not read this book 
nor even touch it. It was a Holy Book, he said, and 
only holy men (meaning himself, of course) could 
touch it. All others who touched the Holy Book 
would become blind immediately. One day this 
priest was called on to conduct a funeral service. 
After the burial he returned to the house of the dead 
person, according to the custom in Roumania, to par- 
take of the feast which is made so that the Lord will 
forgive the sins of the dead person. The priest 
drank so much wine and whiskey that he became 
drunk. He was so drunk that he forgot all about 


[21] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


his Holy Book when he went to his home. After 
he had gone the man of the house discovered the 
Bible in his home. He forgot his grief in his per- 
plexity. The holy father had left his Holy Book on 
the table! Neither he nor his wife dared to touch 
the Holy Book for fear they would become blind 
as the father had said. They called in two neigh- 
bors and told them their trouble. Standing around 
the table all of them looked at the Holy Book and 
trembled. Finally one of the neighbors said, “I am 
a middle-aged man and I don’t care if I do become 
blind. I want to see the Holy Book for myself and 
I am going to touch it.” The others begged him 
not to endanger himself, but he persisted in his de- 
termination. While the others held their breath and 
gazed at him in terror, he picked up the Holy Book. 
Nothing happened. He opened it and began to read. 
Still nothing happened. Then he began to read to 
the others. Miracle of miracles, none of them be- 
came blind! After a while he said, “Don’t you see 
that I am not blind? The father has told us a 
shameful lie!” The men went out and related the 
incident to all whom they met. Within two days 
every one knew the story. Within two weeks the 
priest had to leave town. He could stay no longer. 
To-day more than half of the people in that town 
are Baptists as a direct result of reading the Bible. 

My first experience with the Bible, however, was 


[22] 


My Experience with Religion 


not such a precious one. My aunt, knowing that I 
liked to read, gave me a New Testament and ad- 
vised me to read it. I did try to read it, but I could 
get no meaning out of it. I read the third chapter 
of John, which she had marked, three times. After 
I had finished I knew nothing of the chapter except 
that it told about an old man. My other books were 
more interesting and easier to read. In disgust I 
threw the New Testament in the corner by the fire- 
place and told mother to take it back to my aunt. 
How often since then have I regretted my irreverent 
act ! 


My Journey to America 


In the meantime my desire to see the world was 
growing stronger. When I first heard of America, 
my mother’s brother told me that it was a land full 
of wild beasts and that a good huntsman could earn 
a fortune if he escaped death from these beasts. 
However, the newspaper which my god-father had 
in his home gave me a different idea. My god- 
father was quite a progressive man and encouraged 
me to read his paper. After reading the newspaper 
every week for two years or more I grew impatient 
to see the things which I had been reading about. 
Accordingly, I went to Budapest when I was seven- 
teen to see the world and to earn some money by 


[23] 


~The Road to Brotherhood 


working in the factories of that city. For two sum- 
mers I continued this work, but went back to Moi- 
grad in the winter in order to help my father, who 
was a carpenter, make yokes for oxen. The knowl- 
edge of America which I had gained in Budapest 
only increased my desire to go to the land where 
every one was rich. After I became rich I intended 
to return to my country and live in ease. My par- 
ents, however, did not approve of my youthful plans. 
They would not permit me to go to America. 

Instead of going to America in the spring of 1913, 
I went back to Budapest. My parents thought that 
I would work as before; but I had other plans. My 
uncle, two of his friends, and I decided to go to 
America. Because of the rumors of war with Serbia 
we could not get passports from the Austro-Hun- 
garian government which ruled Transylvania at that 
time. Passports or no passports, we had decided to 
go to America and nothing could keep us from mak- 
ing the attempt. In a round-about way, and by 
many pretenses, we reached Hamburg. What dif- 
ference did it make if we lied to the officials, telling 
them that we were hunting work, or using our work 
cards as passports and pretending that we could not © 
understand Hungarian when all of us could speak it? 
We could tell any kind of a story without hurting 
our consciences in the least, although we were mem- 
bers of the Greek Catholic Church. 


[24] 


My Experience with Religion 


Despite all of our fears and trepidations, we 
reached Ellis Island on June 19, 1913, and awaited 
“final judgment” before entering the “Promised. 
Land.” To our great joy we passed the examiners 
without being turned back. When I saw the heart- 
breaking anguish of those who were turned back 
after spending so much money and traveling so far, 
I was profoundly thankful that the examiners had 
not put a chalk-mark on my back. Thus we en- 
tered America. At last we were 


In tsara dolarului, 
_ La apusul soarelui. 
(In the land of the dollar, at the setting of the sun.) 


My first impression of America was one of won- 
der mingled with disgust. The train which took us. 
to Detroit was magnificent compared to the Euro- 
pean trains, especially the one from Leipsic to Ham- 
burg. Although it was only an ordinary American 
train, it seemed more palatial to me then than the 
Pullman limiteds do now. The size of the country 
astounded me. I thought we would never reach De- 
troit from New York. I was amazed at the numbers. 
of people who were chewing, chewing all the time, 
but never eating. This was my first sight of the 
American chewing gum habit. I was disgusted with 
the smoke and dust everywhere. The air was so 


[25] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


different from the clear mountain air of Transyl- 
vania. I was disgusted also with the first American 
men with whom I came in contact. In one case, a 
man on the train took fifty cents for a ten-cent drink- 
ing cup. We knew nothing of American. money 
and this man helped himself when one of our party 
held out a handful of money. Later the taxi driver 
charged us fifteen dollars, three dollars apiece, for a 
short ride in Detroit. We found out from our 
friends that he had charged too much. But this man 
took our money before we got to the house and left 
us before we saw our friends. Was this the land 
where every one was rich? 


At Work 


Disillusionment came very soon. America was a 
land of dollars, yes; but one had to work hard to get 
the dollars and work was scarce. I decided to work 
at anything I could find no matter what it was. 
Within two weeks I secured a job in the foundry of 
the Ford Motor Company. A man who saw the 
guide show me to my work said to me in Roumanian, 
“He is taking you to Hell.” Indeed, the work was — 
exceedingly hard, hot, dirty, and dangerous. Never- 
theless, I stayed there fourteen months before I quit 
to look for another job. Not finding other work 
to do, I took a rest for six months until I secured a 


[26] 


My Experience with Religion 


job in the Studebaker plant. Later I went back to 
the Ford Motor Company and remained there until 
the autumn of 1917. 


Learning English 


Naturally I lived in the Roumanian colony because 
I did not know the English language, which, by the 
way, did not sound like-a language to me. The first 
time that I heard English spoken, I thought the peo- 
ple were jabbering and making fun of each other 
with noises from their mouths like little children. As 
soon as I learned that this jabber was the language 
of America I desired to know it. I found a little 
mission near the Ford plant where English classes 
were taught at night. Here, after working hard all 
day, I learned to read and write and speak English. 
The kindly interest of the teachers in this mission 
impressed me very much. Certainly all Americans 
were not like the taxi driver. 


Contact with the Baptists 


Although I was making money and forming 
friendships in this new land I was not satisfied. I 
wanted something better, more like the America of 
my dreams. Curiously enough I found this satis- 
faction through my contact with the Baptists, or 


[27] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


Pocaitsi. Six months after I came to America I 
heard of these people. Six or seven of the Rou- 
manian Baptists had rented a house and were hold- 
ing services not far from where I lived. One of 
these ““Repented Men” invited me to go to the Sun- 
day morning service. Having nothing else to do at 
that time I went with him. [ did not care anything 
for the sermon or the prayers, because I could not 
understand them even though they were spoken in 
Roumanian. But the songs! I liked them. “Ah,” 
I said, “this is fine! TIl come back here again.” I 
went, too, not only the next Sunday, but many Sun- 
days, drawn only by the tunes of those hymns. They 
took complete possession of me. I hummed them all 
day long even in the foundry which the men called 
“Hell.” My favorites were “Leave me not, O gentle 
Saviour,’ and “Jesus, I my cross have taken,” the 
first two that I learned. At first the words had no 
meaning for me, but I learned the tunes easily be- 
cause I had been trained to sing as a cantor in the 
Greek Catholic Church. Before long these tunes 
drew me on to the foot of the Cross. 

One of the Pocaitsi gave me a New Testament 
which was marked at the twenty-third chapter of - 
Matthew. I read this chapter at once and then re- 
read it several times. It seemed to me that it was a 
picture of the Greek Catholic priests and their deal- 
ings with the people. More and more I became in- 


[28] 


My Experience with Religion 





terested in this book that I had once thrown in the 
chimney corner. I read it from cover to cover, ask- 
ing questions of my new friends on the points that 
I did not understand. 

The prayers of these “Repented Men,” or Bap- 
tists, also aroused my curiosity. I could say all the 
prayers of the Greek Catholic Church, but these pray- 
ers were different. I asked the Baptist man who was 
living at the same house with me if he would loan 
me his prayer book because I wanted to learn his 
prayers. He explained that he had no book, but that 
the Holy Spirit taught him how to pray. I could 
not understand what he was talking about then. 
Now I know. 


' My Conversion 


As time passed by I became more interested in 
the New Testament’s message. I realized that these 
Pocaitsi were living out the principles of the teach- 
ings of Jesus. Contrasting them with the Greek 
Catholic Church, I knew that the Pocaitsi possessed 
the true Way of Life. Moreover, I was sure that 
I must accept Jesus and His teachings if 1 would 
have the peace that passes understanding. “But,” 
I reasoned with myself, “I am young and I want to 
have a good time. I'll wait until I am thirty-five or 
so before I go with these Pocaitsi.” In spite of my 


[29] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


resolution Jesus kept knocking at the door of my 
heart. . 

One Sunday afternoon I did not go to the Mission 
as I usually did. Instead, I took my friend’s big 
Bible and read Matthew 26 and 27. Never had I 
felt so moved. The meaning of Christ’s sufferings 
overcame me. Tears streamed from my eyes and I 
knelt in prayer. There, for the first time in my life, 
I really prayed. There I was born again. After 
that I hesitated no longer, but made an open confes- 
sion of my trust in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of 
men. When I had received further instruction in 
regard to the Christian life, I was baptized into the 
fellowship of the First Roumanian Baptist Church 
of Detroit. The Clinton Avenue Baptist Church 
opened its doors for the baptismal service because 
the Roumanian Baptists were worshiping in an old 
saloon building. I had come to America to get 
money; I had found eternal life, a treasure that all 
of America’s wealth could not purchase. 

When I wrote to my parents about my conversion 
they were very much grieved and bitterly disap- 
pointed to think that their son, who had been trained 
for a cantor, should leave the true Mother Church. 
They begged me to return home and continue my 
service as cantor. By numerous quotations from 
the New Testament, I pointed out to them the 
failure of the Greek Catholic Church to comply with 


[30] 


My Experience with Religion 


the teachings of Jesus. Finally they expressed their 
confidence in my course of action and left me to en- 
joy my new-found life. 


Church Activities 


From that time on my chief interest has been the 
progress of the Kingdom of God. Soon after my 
baptism I moved to another section of Detroit in 
order to be near the First Roumanian Baptist Church 
where I had an opportunity to learn to play the 
cornet. It was just about this time that I gave up 
my job at the Ford plant. As work was scarce I 
could not get another job. Then I decided to take 
a rest. For almost six months I spent my time in 
reading the Bible, in practicing on my cornet, and in 
doing personal work among the Roumanians. Dur- 
ing this time I read most of the Old Testament from 
my Roumanian Bible and much of the New Testa- 
ment from my English Bible, using my Roumanian 
Bible as a dictionary. 

From time to time I took up new activities in the 
church. I began by leading the song service; next, I 
joined the choir and later the band; then I led 
prayer meetings; and, finally, I preached in the street 
services, one of the evangelistic methods of the 
Roumanian Baptist Church. These street services 
were very simple, but also very effective. Our band 


[31] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


marched to a suitable place and drew a crowd as it 
went. After a few hymns were played by the band 
the ones in charge of the meeting read the Bible, 
prayed and preached. At the close of the meeting 
all were invited to attend the services in the church 
which followed soon after the street meeting. Many 
have been won to Jesus through these street meet- 
ings. 3 

At one time we held our street meetings near sev- 
eral saloons. This provoked a certain saloon-keeper 
so much that he hired two loafers to break up our 
meeting. The next time that we came there the 
loafers began to throw a baseball over our heads. 
Some of the men in the crowd who did not belong 
to our number warned them and told them to stop. 
They stopped just long enough to go into the saloon 
and get a ball-bat. When they returned they were. 
warned again. The loafers paid no attention to the 
warning, but kept on playing ball. Soon a fight en- 
sued in which the loafers were so badly beaten that 
they had to be taken to the hospital. Although we 
were not responsible for the fight we benefited by it. 
No one dared after that to disturb our meeting on 
that particular corner. 

Those early days in the history of the First Rou- 
manian Baptist Church were days of expansion. The 
people who attended our services crowded our places 
of worship so that we had to move several times. 


[32] 


My Experience with Religion 


Before I united with this church, it had worshiped 
in the basement of the Fairy Avenue Baptist Church. 
From there it moved to the old saloon building in 
which it was housed when I joined the church. 
There were about thirty-eight members at that time. 
Later it moved to a couple of store buildings that 
adjoined each other. Finally the members of this 
church bought a Presbyterian church building on 
Hastings Street, between Kirby and Frederick Ave- 
nues. It is still located in this building and is meet- 
ing the spiritual need of a large Roumanian section 
of Detroit. 

While this period of church growth was taking 
place I had been visiting Roumanians in their homes 
to tell them about Jesus. I made a point of finding 
out the names and addresses of those who visited 
our mission for the first time. Then I went to see 
them. I was appalled at the misery, drunkenness, 
and low moral character of so many of them. Their 
need appealed to me and God blessed me in my ef- 
forts to bring them to the foot of the Cross. Evi- 
dently God was gently calling for my whole time, 
but I would not have it so. 


Call to the Mimstry 


After working with the Studebaker Company for 
a while, I secured another job with the Ford Motor 


[33] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





Company as a lathe-hand. My hours of work were 
broken because we worked in three shifts, 8 a.m., 
4. p.m., and midnight. Every two weeks, just as the 
men were getting used to the hours, we changed 
shifts. As I lived a great distance from my work 
I decided to move back near the Ford plant. When 
I moved to the northern part of the city, I changed 
my church membership from the First Church to the 
Second Roumanian Baptist Church, formerly the 
mission where I first became acquainted with the 
Way of Life. | 

My new pastor, Rev. C. R. Igrisan, had just come 
to Detroit from Cincinnati. He was very much in- 
terested in me and soon began talking seriously about 
the ministry and my need for more education. L 
felt that I was doing all that God required of me, 
that I could serve Him as a layman, and that I. 
needed no further schooling because I could speak 
and read English fairly well. While this question 
was before me, I visited Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. 
The ignorance of the people who ridiculed those who 
were serving God in deed as well as in name, their 
wretchedness and their need appalled me. I wanted | 
to help them. After much resistance I yielded to 
the Spirit of God and gave myself unreservedly to 
the ministry. My church licensed me to preach and 
I prepared to go to school. 


[34] 


My Experience with Religion 





My Seminary Training 


Upon the advice of my pastor I decided to get my 
theological training first and then get my academical 
training while ministering to some Roumanian group 
in a city with college opportunities. With this 
thought in mind, I entered the Southern Baptist The- 
ological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., in the fall of 
1917. Noone who has not passed through a similar 
experience can imagine the difficulties of thinking 
and studying all of the time in English. The work 
was hard; the discouragements were great; but by 
sheer determination and dependence upon God’s help, 
I passed my work and received my diploma in 1920. 

While I was in the Seminary I spent my vacations 
in Indiana working for the Indiana Baptist State 
Convention. During my first vacation I was at In- 
diana Harbor, but I went to Indianapolis the next 
two summers. I was employed to do missionary 
work among the Roumanians, and after the first year 
to direct a Daily Vacation Bible School. In Indiana 
Harbor I was not in charge of the vacation school, 
but took charge of the industrial classes. What an 
opportunity for service these Daily Vacation Bible 
Schools offered! Boys and girls representing four- 
teen nationalities came from all kinds of homes. 
Jews, Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics and Prot- 
estants were there. Many came from homes that 


[35] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


were without any kind of religion. Nevertheless all 
gathered in the Daily Vacation Bible School, and 
learned about their country and their Saviour. Who 
can tell the worth of such schools as a power for 
good in the lives of these boys and girls? The Daily 
Vacation Bible School also opened the way into new 
homes and the older people were reached. My after- 
noons were spent in visiting among the people. Our 
Vacation Bible School made the approach easy in 
many instances. 

During my last year in the Seminary I continued 
in charge of the Roumanian work in Indianapolis. 
It was so arranged by the brethren that I gave every 
week-end to this work while I pursued my studies in 
Louisville during the week. Besides these two lines 
of work, I had a third interest: the notes on the > 
Sunday School lessons in “Crestinul.”” Since we 
have no lesson helps printed in Roumanian, the Sun- 
day School page of our paper fills a great need among 
the Roumanians. For two years I wrote these notes 
until I became the editor and passed this particular 
work on to some one else. 


Professor at the International Baptist Seminary 


In the fall of 1920 I took charge of the work 
among the Roumanians in Chicago and Aurora, 
Illinois, and enrolled as a student in the University 


[36] 


My Experience with Religion 


of Chicago to secure my academical training. I had 
been there just a few months when I was asked to 
go to East Orange, New Jersey. The leaders among 
our Roumanian Baptists had recommended me to the 
Baptist Home Mission Society and urged me to ac- 
cept the calix «When I realized the crying need for 
trained leaders in our churches and saw that this was 
an opportunity to meet that need, I accepted the call 
of the Home Mission Society to become the head of 
the Roumanian department in the International Bap- 
tist Seminary which had just been opened in East 
Orange. So far as I know, this Seminary is the 
only one of its kind. It has five departments com- 
posed of students from five European nations. Each 
department gives instruction in its own language— 
Bible, history, composition, literature, etc. English 
courses in grammar and composition, English litera- 
ture, history, and theological subjects are given to 
all. Indeed it is a League of Nations in actual and 
successful operation! Not only through the class 
work of the Seminary, but also through the daily 
contacts of its diverse racial groups, the International 
Baptist Seminary is setting an example of Christian 
Americanization that is a challenge to the entire 
United States. 

This Seminary is meeting one of the great needs 
of to-day. It is training leaders who understand 
their own people and can interpret the Bible to them 


[37] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





in their own language. At the same time these men 
learn American ideals and the English language. 
They are fitted, therefore, to interpret the foreigner 
and the American to each other and to bring about 
a better understanding among the races. Moreover, 
these men can minister more effectively to their own 
people than the American can. They have the con- 
fidence of their people and understand their racial 
characteristics and their European background. 
Great as this Seminary’s contribution to the kingdom 
of God in America is, its influence goes beyond 
America. Both professors and students keep in 
touch with Baptist progress in Europe. Some of 
these men, no doubt, will go to Europe and preach 
the Gospel in their native land, a work which the 
American-born man cannot do so well. Who can 
measure the worth of such an institution as this? 


Other Activities 


In addition to my regular work as professor in 
the Seminary I have two important side-lines. One 
of these is the continuance of my college work, . 
which, by agreement with the Home Mission Society, 
I am keeping up. Summer schools and extension 
work in Rutgers College, New York University, and 
Columbia University have helped me on towards my 


final goal. 
[38] 


My Experience with Religion 


My second side-line, ‘“Crestinul,’”’ or “The Chris- 
tian,” is the Roumanian paper which I have already 
mentioned. It is a sixteen-page magazine published 
by the Roumanian Baptist Association of North 
America. It is published twice a month. I have 
served as its editor since September, 1921. For 
eleven years, “Crestinul”’ has been educating the 
Roumanian Baptists of America in the fundamental 
principles of Christianity and giving them news of 
the progress of the kingdom of God. Many copies 
are also sent to Roumania for free distribution as a 
part of the missionary program of the Roumanian 
Baptist Association. The influence of “Crestinul’’ 
cannot be measured in physical terms. Some of the 
articles that have appeared in the past ought to be 
published as tracts. They would be a valuable aid 
in evangelistic work if they should be reprinted. 
Knowing the power of the printed page and its in- 
fluence for righteousness at various times, I do not 
hesitate to say that our work could be increased 
many times by distributing tracts among the people 
who attend our church services and our street meet- 
ings. Funds for the purpose, however, are not avail- 
able at the present time; hence our work must con- 
tinue without the tracts which could do so much 
good for Christ and the people. 


[39] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





An American Citizen 


This record would not be complete without men- 
tion of two other important events. The first of 
these is my American citizenship. After I had seen 
the ideal side of America and had become acquainted 
with her institutions and life, I desired to become a 
citizen of this great land. Accordingly, I took the 
necessary legal steps and swore allegiance to the 
United States of America on October 2, 1923. Now, 
I am a Roumanian by birth, but an American by 
choice. 


My Marriage 


The other important event of 1923 was my mar- 
riage, the culmination of a friendship which began © 
when I was in the Southern Baptist Theological 
Seminary at Louisville. I was a Roumanian from 
Detroit; she was a school teacher from Illinois; both. 
of us were training for Christian service. At first 
her friendship was founded on sympathy and the de- 
sire to be kind to a foreigner. What a wonderful 
change would take place in this country if all the 
American-born citizens had this desire and put it 
into practice. When she had finished her work in 
the Woman’s Missionary Training School in Louis- 
ville, she entered the University of Illinois to secure 


[40] 


My Experience with Religion 


her college education. As we corresponded with 
each other, our friendship continued to grow until it 
blossomed into love and marriage. Since we have 
thus forged another link in the great chain of Chris- 
tian Americanization we feel that the future is full 
of promise and that we shall accomplish far more in 
it than we have accomplished in the past. 


[41] 


Iii 


From Slavery Days to Christian 
Leadership 


(The Life Story of Mrs. Virginia Walker 
Broughton) 


By Apa F. Morcan 


For nearly thirty years Miss Ada F. Mor- 
gan, the author of this sketch, has worked 
among the Negroes of the South under the 
appointment of the Woman’s American 
Baptist Home Mission Society. No one is 
better qualified than she to paint with bold, 
sure outlines the history of this Negro 
woman of rare achievement, Mrs. Virginia 
Walker Broughton. Born in the days of 
slavery, she has lived to lead her people 
into a new conception of freedom in Christ. 
The Fireside School, that beautiful, grow- 
ing memorial to the life of Joanna P. 
Moore, is to-day closely connected with 
Mrs. Broughton’s efforts and enthusiasm. 


At the meeting of the Woman’s Auxiliary of the 
National Baptist Convention of colored people, 


[42] 


From Slavery Days to Christian Leadership 


there may be seen sitting at the secretaries’ table a 
medium-sized, serious-faced, yellow-skinned, white- 
haired woman. Except when the minutes are read 
there is heard from her little more than a fervent 
testimony at the devotional hour, an emphatic 
“Amen” to the utterance of some speaker, or a 
“Praise the Lord” for some accomplishment noted. 
Her minutes show that no proceeding of the Con- 
vention escapes her. Miss Anna Armstrong, late 
secretary of the Woman’s Missionary Union of the 
Southern Baptists, said of them, “They are the best 
records I ever heard read.” 

A glance at this secretary, who is Mrs. Virginia 
W. Broughton of Memphis, Tennessee, leads to a 
suspicion that she was born in the days of slavery. 
This is true, although she was never an actual slave. 
Her father, Nelson Walker, hired his time from his 
master and, as coachman, earned enough to purchase 
his own and his wife’s freedom before Virginia was 
born. 

Although free, his children had no educational 
opportunities. It was, therefore, necessary to put 
Virginia in a private school taught by Daniel Wat- 
kins, a free colored man, who had come from the 
North to teach the children of free Negroes. In 
this school she had advanced as far as the fourth 
grade when freedom came, and schools began to be 
established for them. Fisk University was one of 


[43] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


these early schools which had its beginning in soldier 
barracks, Virginia was one of the first pupils of 
this school, where she remained for ten consecutive 
years, graduating as the valedictorian of her class, 
with the degree of B.A. The prejudice in the South 
at that time against higher education for women 
gave this colored girl the distinction of being the first 
woman south of the Mason and Dixon Line to grad- 
uate from college. 

Immediately after graduation three positions 
were open to her; one in her Alma Mater, another 
in Louisville, Kentucky, and the third, which she ac- 
cepted, was in the public schools of Memphis, Ten- 
nessee. : 

A little more than a year after the graduation she 
was married to Mr. J. A. O. Broughton of Atlanta, 
Georgia. He was an Atlanta University man; a 
member of the Georgia Legislature and later clerk 
of the House of Representatives. 

For twelve years Mrs. Broughton taught with 
steady promotions until she became principal of the 
North Memphis School. 

While she was in this last position Joanna P. 
Moore, the founder of the Fireside Schools, called 
on her, inviting her to attend a meeting for women 
for the purpose of organizing a Missionary or Bible 
Band. Such a meeting as Miss Moore was plan- 
ning was new at that time, and Mrs. Broughton was 


[44] 


From Slavery Days to Christian Leadership 


curious to learn what it would be. After Sister 
Moore’s earnest Bible lesson and clear explanation 
of the purpose and plan of her work, it was decided 
to form a Bible Band, having the object of securing 
the daily study of the Bible and enlisting others to 
do the same. This band grew in numbers, influence, 
and spiritual strength. Other Bands were organized 
in Memphis, and the women of the churches through 
them were instructed and inspired and encouraged to 
believe that they too were counted worthy to have a 
part in Christ’s work. Paul’s statement, ‘Let your 
women keep silence in the churches, for it is not per- 
mitted unto them to speak’ had barred women in 
colored churches from speaking in public. 

Mrs. Broughton became much interested in Bible 
Band work, but had not then thought of being a mis- 
sionary. She was employed with a comfortable sal- 
ary, and her school and home fully occupied her time. 
The death of her mother and her own failing health 
were the means God used to lead her out into 
larger service for Him. She thought that she was 
about to die and was resigned to go. She gave up 
her husband, children, and all earthly ties ; but instead 
of the Lord coming to bear her spirit home as she 
expected, she says she was overshadowed with the 
veritable presence of God and made to clearly see, in 
language spoken to the soul, that God had a definite 
work for her to do. She had been a Christian since 


[45] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


she was ten years old and had been earnest and ac- 
tive from a child, but this was to be something dif- 
ferent. This marvelous experience was accompanied 
with renewed strength of body that continued to in- 
crease till she was able to leave her bed. With re- 
turning health she began the study of the Bible under 
Mrs. Ehlers, a missionary of the Woman’s Baptist 
Home Mission Society, located in Memphis, who 
with other white missionaries began to encourage 
Mrs. Broughton by giving her definite work to do. 
Since then Mrs. Broughton has read the Bible 
through twenty-five times, besides studying it by 
periods, subjects and in other ways. With her study 
of the Bible her zeal for the work increased. The 
ignorance and superstition of her sisters was an 
appeal to go to them with simple Bible truths and 
the fundamentals of true home making, For several 
years, after she taught five days in the schoolroom, 
she would spend the other two in needy places in the 
country. She would often go as far as fifty miles, 
returning Monday morning to her schoolroom, 
sometimes without sleep the previous night or any 
breakfast that morning. 

The need of missionary work by colored women ~ 
for colored women was so great, and the results 
from the labors of the white missionaries sent out 
by the Woman’s Baptist Home Mission Society of 
Chicago so encouraging, that the school board of 


[46] 


From Slavery Days to Christian Leadership 


Howe Institute decided to began a similar work 
throughout the country organized and fostered by 
colored women. Mrs. Broughton consented to lead 
in this work. It was a trial of faith to give up a 
regular salary for an uncertain income. In her 
struggle to do this she was helped by the song, 
“Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe,’ and Rom. 
8:32. “He that spared not his own Son, but de- 
livered him up for us all, how shall he not also with 
him freely give us all things?” Her misgivings were 
removed, and she went forth, resting in Him who 
can and will supply all our needs. 

In the beginning of organized effort in missionary 
work in Tennessee among colored women, the follow- 
ing fundamental elements were emphasized as nec- 
essary in the formation of Christian character: 

I. Simplicity, cleanliness and neatness in dress. 

2. Wholesome, well prepared food served regu- 
larly and in order. 

3. The temperate use of all good things and total 
abstinence of all poisons, specifying tobacco, snuff 
and intoxicating liquors. 

4. The education of the head, heart and hand. 

5. Above all, loyalty to Christ through the daily 
prayerful study of the Bible. 

Dr. McVicar, Superintendent of Education of the 
American Baptist Home Mission Society, visiting 
Memphis and learning of the work of Mrs. Brough- 


[47] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


ton and her associates, was aroused to the impor- 
tance of colored women in religious work. Through 
his counsel and influence Missionary Training De- 
partments for women were established at Spelman 
Seminary, Howe Institute, Shaw University and 
Bishop College. 

Although most of the women of the churches 
were eager to learn and were teachable, yet there 
was much opposition to Mrs. Broughton’s work. 
There were two causes for the public opposition. 
One was the prejudice existing in the South, and to 
a greater degree among colored people, against 
women engaging in any public duty. Another cause 
was the high standard of living insisted on for pas- 
tor and people which was found in the study of the 
Bible. This was strongly opposed by a class of 
preachers who had low standards of life themselves - 
and taught the same to their people. The preaching 
of these men was of an emotional type, consisting 
largely in holy tones and moans that produced ex- 
citement, but left the people with no clearer knowl- 
edge of their relations to God. One minister se- 
cured authority from his Association to stop Mrs. 
Broughton’s work. He attended one of her meetings 
with this object in view. She knew nothing of this, 
but noticed a man in clerical garb sitting with his 
back to her, apparently warming by the fire. She 
spoke in her usual earnest, forceful way, and atthe 


[48] 


From Slavery Days to Christian Leadership 


conclusion of her talk, as is the custom in colored 
meetings, she asked if any one had anything to say. 
This brother immediately arose and told of his pur- 
pose in coming to the meeting, but said that this 
earnest message based on the Bible had changed him, 
and that he now wanted to make a confession, which 
he did in these words: “I have been washed, rinsed, 
hung up, dried, sprinkled and ironed and am now 
ready for service, not to destroy your work, but to 
do all [ can to help and as zealously as I planned to 
oppose.” He kept his word. 

Another source of opposition came from Mrs. 
Broughton’s relatives, who thought she should give 
more time to her home. When one of her children 
sickened and died while she was at home, giving her 
every attention arid having summoned all the medical 
aid possible, she was convinced that her presence at 
home could not ward off sickness and death. While 
battling with the question of leaving her home so 
much, the Lord spoke to her in these words, “Except 
the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in 
vain.” At another time, when she had decided to 
give up missionary work and was returning from 
what she thought was her last trip, she heard a still 
small voice saying that if she allowed her children 
to be in the way they would all be taken from her. 
Had not she, when she started out, given them up 
to die? Thoroughly convinced of the Lord’s will, 


[49] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





she continued to follow where He led. A house- 
keeper looked well to the ways of her home. She 
gives much credit and praise to her who made it 
possible for her to work outside her home. Her hus- 
band, who was not then a Christian, said one day, 
when she was leaving for another trip: ‘When is 
this business going to stop?” 

She replied, “I do not know; I belong to God first 
and to you next. You two must settle that.” 

She little knew what that answer would mean, 
but she found it was inspired of God. The words, 
“You and God must settle it,” haunted him. He 
was convinced that if he opposed God it would mean 
death to him, and, after a desperate struggle, he 
yielded his will to God and accepted Christ as his 
personal Saviour. Since then there has been no more 
opposition from that source and he has been helpful 
in attending to much of the business connected with 
his wife’s missionary work. 

It is evident that “she looked well to the ways of 
her household,” for “her children rise up and call 
her blessed, her husband also, and he praiseth her.” 
Her four surviving children, one son and three — 
daughters, have all been educated along the lines of 
their natural inclinations. One daughter has special- 
ized in music and uses this talent to sing God’s 
praises. Another is a physician who spent a term 
in Africa as a medical missionary. 


[50] 


From Slavery Days to Christian Leadership 


After working for a number of years with no 
stated salary, taking only what the people were will- 
ing to give, Mrs. Broughton was greatly encouraged 
upon her return from a Bible Conference in Ar- 
kansas, where she was assisting Sister Moore, to 
find a commission awaiting her from the Woman’s 
Baptist Home Mission Society. This appointment 
was secured largely through the influence of Mrs. 
Traver, the wife of the President of Howe Insti- 
tute. As missionary of the Woman’s Baptist Home 
Mission Society, she attended the anniversaries of 
the Northern Baptists held at Saratoga Springs, 
where she spoke twice. The press spoke of her 
addresses as being among the best given. Follow- 
ing these meetings she worked in the states of New 
York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois. 
She writes with great enthusiasm of these experi- 
ences, saying, ‘““Such gracious words of cheer; such 
hospitable entertainment; such applause and such 
substantial endorsement I never expected to experi- 
erie: 

She returned South with new zeal and began to 
develop afresh the work she had left. As an ex- 
ample of the cordial treatment with which she was 
received, the colored women of Memphis sent a silk 
quilt made by them to the Woman’s Baptist Home 
Mission Society to be sold for missionary work. 

The work in the State was growing and the time 


[sr] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


for organization seemed ripe. Woman’s auxiliaries 
of Associations were formed; later the Woman’s 
Auxiliary to the Tennessee Baptist State Convention 
was begun largely through Mrs. Broughton’s ef- 
forts and she was elected its first President. She 
was also among the women who worked patiently 
and earnestly for a Woman’s Auxiliary to the Na- 
tional Baptist Convention, the largest body of col- 
ored people in the world. She was elected recording 
secretary and has served in that capacity since its 
organization in 1900. 3 

During the later years of Mrs. Broughton’s life 
she has served as field worker for the John C. Mar- 
tin Institute. For three years she was Bible teacher 
in the Agricultural and Mechanical School at Nor- 
mal, Alabama. While there in answer to prayer, as 
she believes, she went to the World’s International 
Sunday School Convention in Rome, Italy. The trip 
cost over four hundred dollars, and she started with 
less than one hundred. Before she reached the ship 
on which she was to sail friends had given enough 
for the return trip. She says that the inspiration 
and help received on that trip will continue with her 
to the end of her life. After her return she taught 
Bible in Howe Institute. 

A new call and an entire change of endeavor came 
to Mrs. Broughton in 1912 through the great calam- 
ity caused by the flood in the Mississippi Valley that 


[52] 


‘daNWIHINOS AHL NI NI€VO OYOAN V 





i he ¥ test Mh, Ni 
: ot Fal i ' 
ee eee tA 


: hr 
Po Ess hie od hist AT fe 


se Ph r +, * 
5 & Per asprin Hi 
Site en MLL] ue ht 
ay “h f ; t SPAT “ 
ra Aa fh . TN, oe 
ein i! 
‘ : - 4* - LJ 
- i is i) 
vi Wel te j Ah) ; teh 
' whats | "ge ¢ 
+. h lees 
, Ne ie Tegel 
i & see 
‘ eres 
rif ae ee 
o, ba ‘i 
At =~ 
a8 24 
: eth ee ee 
ao) J He | 
' 
— 
mrs 


. 
: j 
‘ 
' 
] 
‘ Pay 
: " 
; 
2 : 
‘ 
( 
) 
<4} 
7 - 
. 
: 
= A can tf 
a eo) 4 
= ’ 
‘ wit By 
" y 
! 
: * 
\ 
+ f 
¢ go 
i] 
a g 
a j 
”“~ : 





From Slavery Days to Christian Leadership 


year. Two thousand Negroes barely escaped with 
their lives. A camp was secured for these unfortu- 
nate people, and Mrs. Broughton was appointed ma- 
tron. The excellent management of this camp and 
the cooperation of the colored people led, at the 
close of the camp, to a proposition from the 
Associated Charities for cooperation of the 
colored people in the organized work of pub- 
lic charities. Such cooperation was arranged and 
Mrs. Broughton was appointed social visitor and 
secretary. This position she held four years. 
Through her influence the work has extended to 
other cities. While serving in this capacity she was 
appointed by the Governor of the State to represent 
Tennessee in the Lincoln Jubilee. 

When the National Baptist Theological Seminary 
was started at Howe Institute and later transferred 
to Roger Williams University, she was engaged as 
dean of the Women’s Department. She remained in 
this position five years, but spent two days a week in 
mission work, 

Through all these years of intense missionary 
work, social service and teaching, Mrs. Broughton 
has used Joanna P. Moore’s literature and methods. 
For a period of three years she was Miss Moore’s 
private secretary and assistant editor of “Hope.” 
During the period of several months before the man- 
agement and ownership of Fireside Schools was 


[53] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


transferred to the Woman’s American Baptist Home 
Mission Society, Mrs. Broughton was acting Super- 
intendent of the work. She speaks of this and her 
association with Sister Moore as unusual experiences. 
She praises God for the sweet fellowship with those 
of kindred minds and for Miss Moore, to whom she 
claims she is indebted more than to any other for 
her love for the Bible and for her inspiration to do 
Christian work, and for plans that were simple and 
adapted to the needs of the people. She speaks of 
the Fireside Schocls as the most effective agencies 
God has given to develop the home life of the col- 
ored people. She loved Sister Moore and traveled 
two nights in a Jim Crow car to be present at her 
funeral. Nor has she been less loyal to the present 
Fireside School workers. 

Mrs. Broughton seldom speaks of the hardships | 
she has encountered. Mrs. F. P. Cooper, a Memphis 
school teacher who has sometimes accompanied 
Mrs. Broughton on her missionary journeys, writes 
about a trip to a village where lived a sincere saint 
who adored Sister Broughton and wanted to show 
her love by entertaining her. She lived in one room, — 
which she used as a laundry, bathroom, bedroom, 
kitchen and dining room. The one window in the 
room was nailed up. On this particular visit it 
was raining and the door must be kept closed. The 
dear good soul knew little of the art of housekeeping, 


[54] 


From Slavery Days to Christian Leadership 


but she prepared her humble meal from the best she 
had. Mrs. Broughton drank her tea and ate ap- 
parently with relish, talking about the Bible and 
God’s many blessings. That night this one stuffy 
room was the only sleeping place for four. Mrs. 
Broughton was all the time apparently happy. The 
next day they rode fourteen miles in a wagon with 
boards for seats. When the place was reached she 
was called upon to speak before she could even pro- 
cure a drink of water, and the weather was very 
warm. She talked to this association and made the 
return journey of fourteen miles with nothing to 
eat. 3 

A pastor who testified to her wonderful help says: 
“Mrs. Broughton never picked her place of service, 
but was often found in the country where she might 
not have a nourishing meal or a clean bed to sleep 
on.” 

Dr. T. O. Fuller, present President of Howe In- 
stitute says of her: “No woman of our race has done 
more effective work over so long a period of time 
and covering such a large field of activities.” 

Although Mrs. Broughton has passed her three- 
score years she demonstrates that they who wait on 
the Lord shall renew their strength. She is erect in 
stature, clear and active in mind and her zeal is as 
ardent as in the days of her youth. Her chief joy 
seems to be to go way out in the country where the 


[55] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


ignorant are found and the light is dim. There she 
gathers the women and children into groups teaching 
them from the Book, the acceptance of whose words 
brings light and understanding to the simple. She is 
fond of singing and speaks often of being guided in 
some trying experiences by song. The two songs 
that have been her constant inspiration are, “How 
Firm a Foundation” and “A Charge to Keep I 
Have.” 

Perhaps no better expression of the great motive 
of her life can be found than in these following 
words of the same great hymn: 


“To serve the present age 
My calling to fulfill, 
Oh, may it all my powers engage © 
To do my Master’s will.” 


[56] 


IV 


Eugene Kinckle Jones 


(A Negro Leader’s Contribution to Racial 
Adjustment ) 


By CHARLES S. JOHNSON 


Eugene Kinckle Jones, the subject of this 
study, is the Executive Secretary of the 
National Urban League. Mr. Charles 
S. Johnson, the author of this interesting 
sketch, is the director of the Department of 
Research and Investigation of the National 
Urban League, and editor of “Opportun- 
ity.” He is a graduate of Virginia Union 
University, one of our Home Mission 
Schools, and also a graduate of the Uni- 
versity of Chicago. 


That perplexing borderland of racial contacts 1s 


a universe in itself, a shifting procession of emo- 
tional interactions, a moving frontier. 
against the background of this restless picture some 
lone figure defines itself, in all its likeness just a tri- 
fle different in some subtle element, just different 
enough to impress its influence upon the whole scene. 
These are the statesmen, whatever they are called. 
They are as inevitable as conflict itself, and they are 


[57] 


Occasionally 


The Road to Brotherhood 


the balance and sedatives of conflict. There is in 
the lives of these men a story of the whole move- 
ment for race betterment, for there is scarcely a facet 
of this struggle that their efforts do not touch. And, 
conversely, these figures themselves are unintelligi- 
ble unless they are studied in the setting of their 
labors. 

It is in this setting that Eugene Kinckle Jones be- 
comes interesting. Born in 1885 at Richmond, Vir- 
ginia, he was the younger of two sons. His father 
was an experiment in education, one of the first 
Negro college graduates, a scholar, genial in his 
erudition, a born teacher who slipped quietly away 
from his desk into the great white Infinity after 
forty-six years of teaching in one institution for the 
education of Negro boys—Virginia Union Univer- 
sity. His mother, prim, esthetic and correct, is still 
a teacher of music in a sister institution for the edu- 
cation of Negro girls long after the period at which 
the ease and leisure of retirement offer their allure- 
ments. Nervous, tireless stock he sprang from; 
that some of this was handed down is evident in one 
of the family stories. 

Significantly or not, the first years of his life were 
cast in a baffling epidemic of tetanus, then a fear- 
somely fatal malady. He was number forty- 
nine in a most unpromising series of attacks, a 
series that had not left alive a single sufferer. He 


[58] 


Eugene Kinckle Jones 





read his obituary, polite but meaningless, constructed 
on the bold empiricism of the local editor, heard the 
supporting prayers of those who wished bon voyage 
for his youthful soul, and, with a flurry of impa- 
tience, scribbled a note for his mother: “‘What’s all 
the worry about, I’m going to get well. [ve got a 
lot of things to do.” 

For those who require that the positive faiths of 
later life should be foreshadowed by prophecy this 
story is enough. Certainly there is in the incident 
the suggestion of an indomitable tenacity which 
crops through those later struggles with problems 
which survive death—thousands of deaths every 
day. In school he was indifferently a good student 
and a good athlete. His textbooks had been assur- 
ing him that the peculiar racial mold of his mind 
made mathematical subjects an unthinkable aspira- 
tion, and with defiant perversity he entered the 
School of Engineering of Cornell University in 1906, 
completing the first term with a record which en- 
titled him to the rare privilege of exemption from 
the mid-year examinations. This was sufficient to 
unburden him of one of the deadly myths which are 
a part of the culture inheritance of Negro youth. 
It also marked the beginning of a search for a defi- 
nite outlet for his ambitions. In a statement pre- 
pared in 1913, at the request of his Alma Mater— 
Virginia Union University—he tells of this period: 


[59] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


“To my mind this exemption was providential as 
it gave me a full week of reflection over my future 
career. I became convinced that my prospects in the 
field of civil engineering would not be bright if I de- 
cided to remain in this country, and, frank to confess, 
I was wedded to the idea of abiding in the land of 
my nativity. It seemed to me that I could better spend 
my career in trying to open avenues of employment 
to colored people and in trying to prepare them for 
careers in keeping with their prospects. I decided, 
therefore, to further my studies in the field of social 
science with the view of taking up practical social 
service as a life work. | 

“In February, 1907, I entered the Graduate School 
of College of Arts and Sciences of Cornell, selecting 
Social Science as my major subject and Economics as 
my minor subject with Professor Walter F. Willcox 
and Professor Jeremiah W. Jenks, respectively, pro- 
fessors in charge. I was told that it would probably 
require two years for me to complete the requirements 
for a Master’s Degree and that, therefore, it would be 
June, 1909, before I could receive the degree, inasmuch - 
as no degrees are conferred in the month of February. 

“Without dwelling at any length upon the taxing 
hours of study and research required, the fact that 
I had to complete fifty-seven hours of work and pre- 
pare a thesis of 172 pages can give a slight idea of 
the amount of work I had to cover in order for me 
to complete the course in one and one-half years and 
receive the Master’s Degree in June, 1908.” 


[60] 


Eugene Kinckle Jones 





Fifteen years ago there was scarcely a trained 
Negro social worker in the country, social work it- 
self being not far beyond the first rambling stages of 
reckless and pauperizing relief-giving. The cycle 
of this order passed blissfully over the heads of the 
thousands of Negroes living helter-skelter in the 
cities. Their numbers increased and the complexion 
of race relations began to change with the brewing 
agrarian discontent in the South. There was no 
path to work in the field in which Jones had pre- 
pared himself. Just as there were no precedents for 
the deliberate study of the social sciences among 
Negroes, there were no precedents for the employ- 
ment of Negroes who had studied. Search, rejec- 
tion, disappointment and finally a position as teacher 
at State University, an institution for Negro youth 
at Louisville, Kentucky, with classes in social sci- 
ence, English and mathematics. But, as with many 
inchoate institutions of this type, funds for support 
were uncertain, and as regular support for his family 
became increasingly speculative he shifted his labors 
to the Central High School of the same city where 
the curriculum imposed even more rigid limitations 
to his enthusiasm. 

A group of liberal minded New Yorkers, in 1910, 
recognizing the situation of the Negroes about them, 
drew up a tentative program for an organization 
that has become known as the New York Urban 


[or] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





League, and in April, 1911, Jones joined them as the 
field secretary. The movement, funds for support, 
salaries, popular favor—everything was speculation 
save the faith in the righteousness of the philosophy 
of race relations which they supported. Of the rise 
to prominence and influence from this point, the hec- 
tic days of organization and education, the new 
friends made, the campaign launched against the 
forbidding barriers to Negro participation in com- 
munity life and labor, the tedious reports of activi- 
ties from year to year bear sufficient testimony. He 
began his work with a survey of the Negro com- 
munity of New York, a step so sound and sensible 
and scientific that it has since become the one distinc- 
tive policy of the Urban League which gives it pres- 
tige as a dependable authority on Negro life. From 
field secretary he advanced to assistant director, 
then to director of both the New York and the Na- 
tional Urban League. These have been the objec- 
tives of the organization for which he has worked: 
To help Negroes secure for themselves a sound eco- 
nomic foothold—specifically jobs in those industries 
that had been barring them on racial grounds, an op- 
portunity for promotion in these places to better 
positions and a higher economic level; to soften the 
long friction between the practices of labor organi- 
zations and the economic interests of defenseless 


[62] 


Eugene Kinckle Jones 


Negro workers; to help Negroes secure the consid- 
eration to which they were entitled from the existing 
agencies of the city by which they were slighted, not 
so much through intention as ignorance and indiffer- 
ence ; to make possible the control of the environment 
of these same Negroes whose death rate was notori- 
ously high and whose social behavior was obviously 
misguided ; and, most important of all, to focus upon 
these programs and the broad philosophy of faith 
in the humanity of Negroes the attention and inter- 
est of white and Negro persons of influence through- 
out the country. This last is the interracial idea 
which has grown with such amazing strides recently. 

To the personal accomplishments in the prosecu- 
tion of this program it is difficult to apply a statisti- 
cal yardstick. There is almost a career in the duties 
performed without the elaborate gestures of con- 
scious leadership which no report of the organiza- 
tion contains. For example, Louis Post, assistant 
to the Secretary of Labor, on one occasion made the 
assertion that it was Jones’ argument in conference 
with the Secretary of Labor, Wilson (under the 
Wilson administration), that made possible the ap- 
pointment of a Negro as Director of Negro Eco- 
nomics in the Department of Labor, one of the most 
important positions held by Negroes in the service 
of the Government. It was he who drew up the reso- 


[63] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


lutions asking for the office, arranged the hearings 
before the Secretary of Labor and War Policies 
Board, and when the position itself was offered him 
declined it that his own wider programs might con- 
tinue uninterrupted. Or again, the deadlock on 
the entrance to northern occupations of the 
thousands of idle Negroes in the South was not 
broken until employers were assured that this labor 
was adaptable to their work. The first recorded 
group experiment with these workers was conducted 
in the Connecticut tobacco fields in the summer of 
1916, and it was Jones who directed the placement 
and found the workers, in many cases students from 
southern colleges who were engaged for the summer. 
The precipitation that followed was perhaps inevita- 
ble, but the precedent of complete and successful 
adaptability achieved by this rigidly careful selection 
and supervision without question helped sustain the 
patience of employers and the tolerance of communi- 
ties until the ribald mass of crude and unsophisti- 
cated southern Negroes oriented themselves. And it 
was with the problems which developed so rapidly 
and ponderously following the beginning of the mi- 
gration that the skilled statesmanship of Jones rose 
to its highest point. 

Similarly, it is not recorded that the bill embody- 
ing the State Free Employment idea in New York, 
as presented by Assemblyman E. A. Johnson, was 


[64] 


Eugene Kinckle Jones 


actually proposed by Jones. Or that it was he who 
influenced Mayor Mitchel to place a Negro on the 
Board of Education of New York City. 

The entire movement in 1911, when he became 
associated with it, required a budget of $2,500. 
Since that date some forty cities have been organ- 
ized, and in 1924 the budget had increased to more 
than a quarter of a million dollars, With his pen 
and voice he has carried the principles of peace into 
new country where it has commanded serious hear- 
ing. In 1921 President Harding wrote: ‘The Na- 
tional Urban League . . . has been particularly use- 
ful in its contributions towards the solution of the 
problem of races in the United States, because it has 
sought to secure the cooperation of leading people of 
both races in attacking these problems.” Cardinal 
Gibbons just before his death said: “The report of 
the work done during the past year justifies you in 
expecting the support so well deserved.” ‘“Admira- 
ble work!” says President Edmund C. Sanford of 
Clark University. “Wisely conducted,” says Presi- 
dent James R. Angell of Yale University. 

The movement is still young and it reflects the 
youthful spirit of the man who is still piloting it 
restlessly and eagerly. 

Under his general direction no less than 200,000 
Negro workers have been placed in positions, the 
first Negro interns appointed at Bellevue Hospital, 


[65] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


forty-five Negro personnel workers established in 
industrial plants and twenty-seven Negro students 
trained and placed in social service positions. 

At conference times he is intense, ubiquitous—a 
natural organizer and handler of men. Maurice 
Moss of Toledo paints an interesting picture of him 
among his under-secretaries listening earnestly and 
cutting out programs to meet the incredibly unique 
problems of their local communities. In his person- 
ality there is an interesting mixture and frequent 
conflict between two dominant elements—cold prac- 
ticability and idealistic enthusiasm. Those who feel 
the first as frequently as not are chilled by it into an 
attitude of aloof respect. But the breezy informal- 
ity of actual presence just as often has broken this 
illusion. 

A keen business mind, a shrewd judge of men, 
and painstakingly honest. Off duty he finds time to 
make a thirty-mile trip at night in a snow storm to 
tell a men’s meeting how they may make a first step 
towards understanding the problems of their Negro 
neighbors, or to interest some person of means in 
helping a student in his researches abroad, or to or- 
ganize a group in his home town for encouraging 
young students to continue in school, or to win a 
medal in the city tennis tournament. 

Fortunately he began school and completed his 

[66] : 


Eugene Kinckle Jones 


training early, and the weight of this huge program 
fell on his shoulders when he was young, and after 
thirteen years he is still younger than most men of 
similar responsibility, with another reasonable life- 
time ahead of him. 


[67] 


¥; 
A Bridge of Faith 


(An American Girl’s Memories of a Japanese 
Consul) 


By EstHER Mary McCoLioucH 


An important international figure indeed 
is a Japanese consul, And here is the thrill- 
ing tale of how Mr. Morinobu Hirota was 
brought to Christ over a bridge of faith 
which reached from the Japanese Women’s 
‘Home in Seattle to the far-away Sunrise 
Kingdom. Miss McCollough has been 
working for the last six years under the 
Woman’s American Baptist Home Mission 
Society at this remarkable haven for home- 
sick Japanese in America. 


(The author is a worker in the Japanese Women’s 
Home maintained in Seattle, Wash., by the Worm- 
an’s American Baptist Home Mission Society.) 


As my mind travels back to that American home 
in Seattle wherein lived the Japanese consul, Morin- 
obu Hirota, his wife, and their liitle five-year-old 


[68] 


» 


“HSVM ‘ATLLVaS “ANOH S,NEaWOM ASANVdV{ AHL JO LNOW NI 








A Bridge of Faith 


daughter, Nobuko, a series of moving-pictures flash 
before my eyes. There were the many cooking- 
class lessons at their home when we strove to bring 
American and Japanese friends around a table in 
which the mind as well as the body were fed to the 
best of our ability. Mr. Hirota would say about 
the food, “How pretty it looks!” instead of “How 
good it tastes!’ How well I remember one cooking- 
class dinner especially, when the pastors of the First 
Presbyterian, the First Methodist and the First Bap- 
tist Churches and their wives and Mr. Corwin S. 
Shank, the President of the Northern Baptist Con- 
vention, and his wife were invited. After dinner we 
went to the living-room where Mrs. Hirota played 
beautifully ona grand piano. She had studied under 
the best masters.and had kept up her music while 
in Seattle with one of the best teachers here. Mr. 
Hirota also loved music and played the violin. He 
said, “Why, Mrs. Hirota’s music was what first at- 
tracted me!” She would look at him and say, “Now 
what shall I play?’ and he would answer, “TI like 
that Russian piece where one can hear the horses 
galloping.’ 

Share with me the sweet picture of Nobuko’s first 
Christmas in America, when all the American neigh- 
borhood children and a few Japanese children were 
grouped around the long dining room table decorated 
with Santa, his reindeer and sleigh, and afterwards 


[69] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





when the excited children jumped around the loaded 
Christmas tree as a real Santa Claus distributed the 
gifts. I remember well the joy that those parents 
had planning that Christmas party and the happiness 
they had receiving the children and mothers. I can 
see Mrs. Hirota now as she pored over her English 
lessons so diligently when I went to her home twice 
a week. When I praised her for her perseverance 
in trying to speak English all the time, she said, “I’m 
taking my courage in both hands.” 

Often I relive the quiet hours we sat around the 
fireplace gazing into the bright flames as we talked 
of the Bible and of faith. Mrs. Hirota would say, 
“T have faith, but I want my husband to have faith.” 
Nobuko would draw up her little stool, bring out 
her little Sunday-school book and show me the pic- 
tures which she had so carefully colored. How she 
loved those stories! Her mother said that one day 
when she was giving a luncheon, Nobuko looked at 
the sunshine streaming across the table and then an- 
nounced to the guests, “God made the sunshine!” _ 

A circumstance that has made a lasting impres- 
sion on Americans and Japanese alike was the will- 
ingness with which the Hirotas were ever ready to 
serve others in their own home or elsewhere. Mrs. 
Hirota was always glad to play for our American 
meetings. They shared their talents and hearts with 
all alike because they longed to be democratic. . 


[70] 


A Bridge of Faith 


Into that home of happiness and refinement came 
sickness. Mrs. Hirota said with patience and resig- 
nation, “God has always sent me sickness—first my 
mother, then my sister, and now my husband.” Let 
us pass over those weeks of illness quickly. The 
doctors did all in their power to restore health while 
a devoted and loving wife battled with disease. Then 
came the time when it was decided that they must 
leave their loved Seattle. 

I recall the morning we went to see our dear 
friends, the Hirotas, depart for Japan. The rain 
fell steadily and seemed to find an echo in our 
hearts. Hirota, who had not been able to see his 
friends for weeks, had been taken on board the boat 
the day before sailing, but to our great surprise 
there he stood, the thoughtful, considerate gentle- 
man, faultlessly attired as of old, anxious to bid their 
many friends good-by. Although his face and body 
showed the ravages of sickness yet the same kind- 
ness shone from his eyes. Even now I cannot re- 
call that parting without tears coming to my eyes. 
To the very last moment of departure of the Suwa 
Maru Mr. Hirota stood with his wife and child 
gallantly smiling his farewell. 

They went at once to Kamakura on the seashore. 
Soon their letters began to tell of the fight the wife, 
the nurses, and the doctors were making against the 
dread disease, of hours of suffering and nights of 


[71] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


sleeplessness when the devoted wife sat at the bed- 
side singing cradle songs as a mother does to her 
baby. Then came another Christmas, when the pa- 
tient seemed better and the Seattle Christmas decora- 
tions were used again, the cooking-class note-book 
lessons were tried again and happy Seattle memories 
were revived. Mrs. Hirota told how Nobuku re- 
membered the Bible stories and how she loved to 
look at her Bible book and that they were deter- 
mined that she must be taught the Bible in Japa- 
nese. | 

Mrs. Hirota, in one letter, said, “Mr. Hirota be- 
gan to read his Bible, which he did not do in former 
days, then he began to pray. He earnestly has tried 
to gain faith. He read religious books and sent for 
a Japanese Christian pastor to come and talk to him, 
which he is still continuing to do. The illness is a 
sad thing, but in Mr. Hirota’s case it turned out to 
be an incident in a religious experience. He would 
have remained an ordinary man had he not so suf- 
fered.” 

They went to Hakone in the mountains during 
the hot weather. Mr. Hirota wrote from there, “I. 
do not feel quite well, but believing that ‘he that 
endureth to the end shall be saved,’ I feel calm and 
happy.” 

We were all so shocked and saddened to hear that 
the Japanese consul here had received a cablegram 


[72] 


“AWOH NVILSIXYHO V AO WACNNOA 
‘dTIHD GNV FIM S/INSNOD AHL ‘VLOMIH OAAONTIYOW INSNOO ASANVdVE WANWUOA 





Vy ifs sis a5 ii 
wT £ 





f 
xu 


WE hg? 
oh OR ed Fi 


Pio 

cra ef ty 

‘ aid ae UM ha be 

“- ‘at age 

re, * wal bo 

; : rhe AS 






j i 
' rt 
‘ 
‘ = 
i A aie 
i A 
y? a 
| 
At * 
ene 
’ 
f i 
a + 
* r 
i 
ot, | 
' 
3 ae ' 
o& tr b 
u LENS . ita. i r ee oo he Pat  S eeere 
yar ly at 2 eras ites ods 
= ~ ~ ; txJ ' 
e ‘ , : ae . c= i * Pies 7 
” aA “t q ~ el Be 
# > . 4.4 ; ¢ a AS ; 
= J ¥ . 4 7 - 
‘ eof 
res + {3-4 
' i -*% . ‘ 
i 2 ook { - y 
vei f ¥ J 
« - 
' ~ - . 
: m +4 +t hs 
= 
4 ae I y , # be e 
Ma Se OP he ts 
an a 7 5 
Cw ; tH 
i #8 “cs : 
: Th a - ; » +>7 
. i f 4 1 
Tk Vy es ‘es 
A ‘4 eat 
d fee ¢ 4% é * ; 
J ha AV ak . - 
,; a AE AST er? ae 
a Op ’ we 4 
ae ‘ 2 ea 2% 
‘ ! : A ; 
oe ro 
ae i Ste 
ri 
> - , 
Ml ’ ‘ = t 
‘ re to : . + The 
= Hy us . B 
- eae d b % 
’ rs » i ey yas >> 
2 Pg 4 
; aud , ated as 
' f 
i ! : i 
-) 
r; © r Ot y £ 
i ee 
jin Fe 
' : ee y 
4 \ ‘~ af 7 se ’ 
iv i i sf 4 
) a - 
ae, OF re,’ : : 
j ' \ ! ‘ 
; : 
i ‘ ay 


A Bridge of Faith 





saying that “the ex-Japanese consul, Morinobu 
Hirota, had succumbed to the protracted illness on 
November roth.” It was the next week that I re- 
ceived a letter from Mrs. Hirota, dated November 
7th, three days before Mr. Hirota’s death, in which 
she told about her husband’s condition being more 
serious since they had returned from Hakone to 
Kamakura, adding, ‘Amidst the serious time of his 
WIness he was baptized in bed by a pastor of the 
Nippon Christian Association. It seems to me like 
a miracle, because he has never thought about Chris- 
tianity, even Buddhism until now. But since he has 
been to Seattle and had so many chances to know 
Christians and earnest Christians, his mind felt af- 
fection about religion. After he got the illness and 
experienced intolerable pain of body and mind, the 
poor stray sheep came to God’s warm heart at last. 
I trust that God will save him and no doubt my 
strong faith will be approved by God some day.” 
Sorrow and sadness because of her great loss, yet 
tenderness and joy over her husband’s salvation, 
were shown by Mrs. Hirota after her husband’s 
death. “It has been a hard time for me these two 
years,’ she wrote on one occasion. “Whenever I 
was given big trials I took courage and worked for 
Mr. Hirota day and night. I trusted he would be 
saved at last, until his death occurred and it was 
realized in the heaven. Now the greatest Healer has 


[73] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


healed his pain and sufferings. I know he is safe 
in the arms of his Heavenly Father.’ | 

The many hours that the Hirota family and I 
were privileged to spend together will live forever in 
my heart. The year that the Hirotas spent in 
Seattle bore abundant fruit, due to the effort on their 
part to understand American language and customs 
and their willingness to seek spirituality by church 
attendance, by study and by contact with Christian 
friends;-in brief, their choice of the wheat from the 
chaff. When they left Seattle their characters shone 
forth as bright lights in the city, but after those 
months in Japan of suffering, of devotion, of faith, 
and of seeking, culminating in Mr. Hirota’s bap- 
tism, their lives shone forth in a blaze of glory. We 
know Mr. Hirota is in the arms of the “greatest 
Healer” and we feel that this spiritual bridge is help- — 
ing to span the distance between America and Japan. 


[74] 


VI 
A Kiowa Daughter of the King 
(The Beautiful Christian Life of an Indian Girl) 


“The King’s daughter ts all glorious within.” 
By Harriet Rocers KIneG 


Here is sketched the victorious life story 
of Julia Given Hunt, a Kiowa Indian girl 
who was converted under the influence of 
home mission work and later went back to 
her tribe as a missionary of the Woman’s 
American Baptist Home Mission Society. 
Mrs. King, the author, is singularly fitted 
to tell the tale, as she herself has lived and 
worked among the Kiowas for many years, 
first as a missionary and at present as the 
wife of the minister at Rainy Mountain 
Baptist Church. 


Long ago on the plains of Western Oklahoma 
roamed wild bands of Kiowa Indians, led by their 
chief, Satanka, whose name, translated into English, 
means Sitting Bear. A strong man was old Satanka 
—strong minded, strong willed and fierce. Head of 


[75] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


all the chiefs of all the tribes of the great Southwest, 
he glorified in his power over men, as again and 
again he led his people into battle against the white 
man and came to be feared as a mighty warrior. In 
his great love of freedom he fought fiercely against 
the government which was trying to enforce law and 
bring peace to all its peoples. But the fates held in 
store a Day of Wrath for old Satanka. On May 
17, 1871, he and his band fell upon a wagon train 
in Texas, killed seven men and captured forty-one 
mules. Fortune deserted the warrior chief and he 
was caught by government officers who disarmed 
him and his fellow chiefs—Big Bone, Eagle Heart, 
Fast Bear and Big Tree. But the Kiowa courage 
did not desert Satanka’s strong heart. - As the wagon 
started, he pointed to a landmark some distance 
away and exclaimed in Kiowa—“I shall never go be- 
yond that tree.’’ Solemnly the death song of the 
Kaitsenke, of whom he was chief, fell on the air: 


“O sun, you remain forever—but we Kaitsanke must 
die, 
O earth, you remain forever—but we Kaitsanke must: 
die.”’ 


The song ended. Satanka had sprung suddenly on 
his guard with a knife concealed beneath his blanket. 
A shot rang out from a rifle in the hands of a sol- 


[76] 


‘INNH 
‘INQH @NIIONVO vIIn{ ‘suw dO YAHLivaA ‘CZQI 3 





iI IWS LHOwx 


SALHDOVGGNVYD HIIM INNDH VIIN£ ‘SuW UVAN GATIM ‘AGIHO AVM AIO AHL ‘VSINOLVS 








A Kiowa Daughter of the King 


dier following in the cart behind, and the warrior 
chief dropped to the floor of the wagon. Thus lived 
Satanka, chief of the Kiowa, and thus did he die. 
Satanka, chief of the Kiowas, left something more 
behind him than a reputation as hunter of buffaloes 
and killer of men. At the Government school in 
Fort Sill were two little Indians—Buckskin, the 
warrior’s son, and a little daughter named Odele- 
ta-di, or “Spliced Hair.” The little orphans were 
great favorites of a young government physician, 
Joshua Given, who adopted them and gave them the 
names of Joshua and Julia. At the Government 
school the children were clothed and dressed in 
clothes such as any little white folks wear, the In- 
dian paint was washed from their faces, and their 
beads and moccasins were taken away. Later 
Joshua was sent to the splendid school in Carlisle, 
Pennsylvania, while Julia stayed in the home of her 
aunt, Mrs. Stumbling Bear. But Joshua remem- 
bered his sister and soon sent for her that she might 
be surrounded by the fine educational and cultural 
advantages of the East. Julia became so expert at 
cooking, sewing, washing, ironing and other house- 
hold arts that she went by request to the home of a 
Major Alford in New Jersey, where she soon forgot 
all the old Indian ways and lived as a white girl, 
surrounded by beauty and culture. And still she 
wore next to her heart the little silver cross which 


[77] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


showed that the daughter of a chief was now a 
daughter of the King as well. In the meantime old 
Satanka’s son had taken his theological training 
and obeyed the call of God to go back and teach his 
Kiowa people in Oklahoma the wonderful story of 
Jesus. 

Although she was all unaware of it, a chapter of 
Julia’s life was closing and with the coming of 
Maryetta J. Reeside to the Major’s home in New 
Jersey a new leaf slipped into place. Miss Reeside 
was a beautiful, consecrated girl who had felt her- 
self stirred as she heard of the Indians in far-away 
Oklahoma. The Great Spirit spoke to her heart and 
told her to carry to the Kiowas the story of Jesus 
to make glad their ways and days. . But she must 
have an interpreter, and where could she be found? 
In search of a wagon for her work she went to the 
Indian school at Carlisle, thinking it would be ap- 
propriate to buy it from these native lads who made 
it with their own hands. Here she heard of Julia 
Given, a Kiowa girl herself, and a Christian who 
might serve as interpreter for the story of Jesus. 
But new difficulties stood in the way. There were 
now warm ties of friendship with the East, and be- 
sides, her brother Joshua who had worked so bravely 
among their people had just died, thus weakening 
the bonds which held her to the Kiowa tribe. Julia 
did not want to go. “I could no longer live in a dirty 


[78] 


A Kiowa Daughter of the King 


Indian tent,” she told Miss Reeside. ‘“‘And, besides, 
my tongue no longer remembers the Kiowa lan- 
guage.’ It was too much to ask of her to give up 
this fascinating new life for a strange, hard under- 
taking among the old people and the old ways. 
But the voice from within grew stronger and 
stronger as Miss Reeside pleaded with Julia’s soul. 
Marvelously God answered the prayers of the young 
white woman and sent the gift of tongues back to 
his Indian daughter. Julia’s resistance broke when 
she once more found Kiowa words on her lips and 
she turned her face toward the great West and her 
people. Now came days of new and thrilling ex- 
periences. In 1893 Julia came back to the great 
plains of Oklahoma which she had left so many 
years before. With two earnest missionaries of 
the Woman’s American Baptist Home Mission So- 
ciety she lived in a little house near the Big Tree 
Crossing, about two miles from where the Rainy 
Mountain Church now stands. Only the brave- 
hearted three, with their implicit faith in the Great 
Father, would have dared remain here so peacefully, 
for there were no other houses on the great plains 
at that time, and they were entirely surrounded by 
the tepees of the Kiowa tribe who still followed the 
old heathen ways. The missionaries had neither 
wagons nor harness and rode horseback from camp 
to camp, telling the story of Jesus. Twenty-five 


[79] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





miles from the nearest railroad, these three went 
about their tasks for Christ fearlessly and with sing- 
ing hearts. Carefully and patiently Julia began 
translating many Scripture verses into Kiowa so that 
the Indians might “hide them in their hearts.” She 
put into their own tongue also the hymn “Come to 
Jesus,” and how their faces shone as they sang it. 
The Kiowas were great gamblers at this time, and 
the missionaries did not hesitate to walk boldly into 
the midst of their circle, where they knelt down and 
prayed that God might put an end to this evil. The 
young men who understood English were ashamed, 
and one by one crept away from the tent. So the 
prayers of these women did much to drive gambling 
out of the tribe. The old Ghost Dance, too, was 
largely given up through the untiring efforts of the 
two white women with Julia Given at their side. 

It was not all smooth sailing, however, for the 
Kiowas were intensely suspicious of julia, believing 
that she was in league with the Government in an 
attempt to bring about the allotment of land, up to 
this time held as one large reservation. Yet Julia 
never wavered. Her days were made beautiful by 
continued service as she traveled on horseback from 
camp to camp, teaching the Indian women how to 
make real homes, interpreting to the Kiowas not only 
the words of the missionaries but their thoughts as 
well, teaching the white women words of the Kiowa 


[80] 


A Kiowa Daughter of the King 


language, and helping Miss Reeside to translate a 
part of the New Testament into the Indian tongue. 
Best of all she lived Christ so consistently that she 
herself was the best interpretation to her fellow In- 
dians of what it means for the daughter of a war- 
rior chief to become the daughter of a Saviour King. 
Even as Miss Reeside came to be known as Aim- 
de-coe (or Turn Aside) Julia Given inspired many 
to turn from the old path of sin to join the pilgrims 
on the Jesus Road. Among those who left the old 
way was a young Kiowa Indian named George 
Hunt. He was a bright, enterprising young man 
with a good education who loved this young woman 
with the Christ love in her heart. And so Julia 
Given changed her name once more and became 
Julia Hunt. Into the new home she carried the 
strength, love and beauty which had characterized 
her work as Christian Interpreter under the Wom- 
an’s American Baptist Home Mission Society. 
Theirs was one of the happiest of Kiowa homes, a 
shining picture for the many Indians who visited 
it on business when the husband and father was 
engaged as Indian farmer for the government. 
Many changes came to the tribe and to the little 
church of which she was a faithful member so many 
years. From a small group this church grew to a 
membership of two hundred and thirty-eight. Mrs. 
Hunt was the leading spirit of the Woman’s Mis- 


[81] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


sionary Society, and took charge of the little folk 
in the Sunday school. Her mother heart and win- 
ning tact made her loved by these many little Kiowas 
as she was loved also by their fathers and mothers. 
She had a cheery optimism which surely was not 
inherited from the surly old warrior father, and 
must have come from the spirit of the King Him- 
self dwelling within her Indian heart. She always 
stood solidly for the thing that meant progress for 
her people, ever opposing what held them back. In- 
deed she made a recent trip to Washington in order 
to request of the Commissioner that a doctor for the 
Indians be sent to Mountain View. So sanely and 
firmly did she press the matter that this demand was 
met. PO Sie 

By no means the least important results of her 
strong Christian life are the three stalwart sons and 
daughters who bear testimony to-day to the strength 
and wisdom of their mother’s love. Ernest is ac- 
tive in Sunday school and B. Y. P. U. work; Mar- 
garet, backed with a good Christian education, has 
lately given herself to any work to which the King 


may call her; and Iolata is now in Bacone College 


taking the best training possible in order to prepare 
for Christian life service. 

During the suffering of the dread disease which 
took her life Julia Given Hunt showed the same 


plucky, cheerful spirit which characterized those 


[82] 


A Kiowa Daughter of the King 


days when she gave up ease and comfort in the East 
for privation and hard work among her people in 
Kiowa country. And when the King called, His 
daughter, “all glorious within,’ went gladly home. 
The fragrance of her life, made beautiful with the 
Christ love which permeated it, rises to-day like 
sweet incense in many Kiowa hearts. The inspira- 
tion of her devotion spreads out to many others also, 
spurring them on to a higher faith and a larger serv- 
ice because a Kiowa chief’s daughter turned daugh- 
ter of the King. 


[83] 


Vil 


Mario Discovers America 
(How God Led an Italian Boy To Be a Minister) 
By A. Dr DoMENIcaA 


Rev. A. Di Domenica, the author, is the 
pastor of the First Italian Baptist Church 
and Community House in Philadelphia, un- 
der appointment by the American Baptist 
Home Mission Society and the Philadelphia 
Baptist Union. He is the author of an ap- 
proved course of instruction in the English 
language for Italian immigrants. 


When Mario was a boy he seldom heard people 
speak about America. However, as far back as he 
can remember, his father told him that among the 
first emigrants from his native village who had gone 
to America there were a cousin and a brother-in- 
law of his. After a few years in America the latter 
returned home, and the tales which he recounted to 
his townsmen about the New World were as amazing 
to them as the stories of Columbus were to the Span- 
iards when he returned from his first discovery. He 


[84] 





Mario Discovers America 


said that in America trains were running on the top 
of the houses; that the greatest celebrations which 
the Americans had were the “Forte Gelato” (which 
in the Italian language means “great freezing’) and 
the “Feast of the Chickens.” ‘Forte Gelato” was 
his translation of “Fourth of July” and “Feast of 
the Chickens” of “Thanksgiving Day’’! 

Mario’s father asked information about what the 
Americans commemorate in these two strange cele- 
brations, and the answer was that on one occasion, in 
years gone by, on the Fourth of July it was so cold 
in the city of New York that the river which sur- 
rounds it was deeply frozen! From that day on the 
people of America have celebrated the unusual event 
every year on the same date! Concerning the Feast 
of the Chickens, the newly arrived American said 
that on the last Thursday of November the Ameri- 
can people kill all the chickens they have! Mario’s 
father retorted: ‘Then it is not the feast, but the 
death of the chickens!” 

However, the returned emigrant spoke so well of 
America and how easy it was to earn money there 
that he influenced Mario’s oldest brother to leave 
Italy and go to the country which “‘floweth with milk 
and honey.” In vain his mother pleaded with him 
not to leave home and break her heart! He had re- 
solved to go, and nothing could turn him from his 
determination, As he had no money for his pas- 


[85] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


sage, he wrote to his cousin in New York who sent 
him a prepaid ticket. No one can imagine the grief 
of his parents when they saw their oldest boy leave 
home to go into an unknown world, especially as he 
had to cross the ocean! What a fear of the sea the 
people of that village had in those days! When 
evening came, Mario’s mother went to the window 
and, looking toward the far horizon in the direction 
in which her boy was voyaging, wept bitterly and 
said: “My boy, my boy, where is my boy?” The 
rest of the children at home, seeing their mother 
weeping, wept with her! She stopped shedding 
tears after she received the first. letter announcing 
her boy’s safe arrival in New York. 

Through the influence of his cousin, Mario’s 
brother soon found work, and after earning enough 
money to provide a marriage dowry for his oldest — 
sister, he returned home. This was after a two 
years’ stay in America. 

Upon his landing at Naples he found that cholera 
was raging in that great city and he had hard work 
to escape quarantine. When he reached his native 
village, the authorities would not permit him to go » 
home, fearing that he had brought cholera infection. 
So he was put in a lazaretto outside the town. 

On the following day he was taken sick. He had 
all the symptoms of that terrible disease! No one 
can understand the anxiety of his mother who, not 


[86] 





Mario Discovers America 


being allowed to stay with him, spent most of her 
time in the Catholic church, praying to Saint Rocco 
(who, according to the teaching of the church, is 
the patron Saint on whom they call in all such epi- 
demics) to save her boy. She sent Mario to buy 
candles and burn them before the image of this 
Saint. Every member of his family prayed to Saint 
Rocco that he might be spared. Within a few days 
the young man appeared to be cured and was per- 
mitted to go home. 

After a two years’ stay in Italy Mario’s brother 
began to feel an unbearable homesickness for Amer- 
ica. Hence he decided to return to New York, not 
only for bettering his financial welfare, but to give a 
helping hand to his father, who had a large family 
to support. 

After living for three years in the great metropo- 
lis, one day, passing through Worth Street, he was 
attracted by the singing of an Italian congregation 
which met in the Five Points Mission House. At 
that time this was the only Italian missionary work 
which was carried on under the auspices of the 
New York City Mission Society. The building did 
not look like a church, hence he hesitated to go in. 
Finally he took courage and with unspeakable fear 
entered the hall. The pastor was preaching on the 
Fifth Commandment. The young man was so 
pleased with the sermon that in a very short time 


[87] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





all his fears vanished and he decided that he would 
go again. 

At the door stood a table on which there were 
many books. In going out he wanted to get one 
to learn its contents, but he did not have the courage 
to ask for it. Finally he decided to steal one and 
keep it for a few days and afterward return it to 
the same place without letting anybody know it. | 

Returning home he discovered that the book was 
a New Testament. As he had never seen one before 
he simply devoured it. He went to bed after he had 
read it from cover to cover. He liked the book so 
much that he continued to attend the church and 
was soon converted to Jesus Christ. The change 
which the gospel brought in the life of this young 
man was an inspiration to all who knew him. After 
a few months he was elected deacon of the same 
church. 

Soon after his conversion he sent for a younger 
brother who also became converted. They were 
both happy for having been brought into the light 
of the gospel. But the thought that their dear ones 
at home were still living in ignorance and supersti- 
tion tortured them. There seemed to be nothing 
for them to do except to send them a New Testa- 
ment, with the hope that it might lead them into a 
new spiritual state. 

As soon as they received this book Mario and his 


[38] 


Mario Discovers America 


sister began to read it to their parents, as they could 
neither read nor write. Many winter evenings were 
spent around the fireplace reading to them the 
gospel story. The life of Jesus was very fasci- 
nating to them all. But the news that they had 
received a “Protestant Book’? from America soon 
spread throughout the village. Mario’s mother, 
frightened as she was by what the people said about 
the book, sent Mario to a priest who was a relative 
of theirs, to ask him what he thought of the book. 
As the priest was his school teacher, Mario did not 
like to ask him about it. However, compelled by 
his mother, he took the New Testament and went to 
him. In a trembling voice he asked: “Teacher, my 
mother wishes you to tell me whether this book is 
fit for us to read.” He took the book, opened it, 
glanced at the title page and, seeing the name of the 
translator, turned the leaves rapidly, and, giving it 
back to him, said: “I think you may read it because 
you cannot understand it all.” Mario went directly 
home and related everything to his mother, who re- 
joiced with the rest of the family that the priest had 
not pronounced an unfavorable verdict on the book. 

In spite of the fact that Mario and his sister read 
the New Testament every evening, they did not take 
the book as the Word of the living God, but as a 
story book. They did not discover the treasures 
contained therein. So they continued to attend the 


[89] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


Roman church as usual and never dreamed that out- 
side of this church there could be salvation. 
Through letters received from Italy, Mario’s 
brothers in New York saw that their people were 
making no spiritual progress through the reading of 
the New Testament. The verse in Mark 5: 19, “Go 
to thy house unto thy friends, and tell them how 
great things the Lord hath done for thee,” was con- 
stantly ringing in their ears. Hence they decided to 
leave America and return home to bring the good 
tidings to their people. On the very evening of their 
arrival they began to preach the gospel to their 
dear ones and to the people who had come to in- 
quire about their relatives living in New York. The 
first meeting lasted for nearly three hours. The 
people who heard this first evangelical message were | 
so impressed that they wept continually. On the 
following evening a greater crowd gathered to hear 
the Word. To satisfy the hunger of the people the 
newly-arrived Americans decided to hold services 
every evening. Everything went smoothly as long 
as the news did not reach the priest’s ear. When 
he was informed of the great crowds which thronged 
the house of the Protestants he sent for the young 
man’s father and reproached him in a shameful way 
for allowing his children to preach a strange re- 
ligion in their village. The poor man had nothing 
to answer, and to get out of the difficulty he sug- 


[90] 


Mario Discovers America 


gested to the prelate that he send for his oldest son 
that he might answer for himself. He accepted the 
suggestion. When the “chief” Protestant appeared 
before the priest he asked him what he wished. 
The prelate, in a threatening attitude, said: ““Who 
gave you permission to preach this poisonous reli- 
gion in our town?’ The answer was: “Jesus, who 
said : ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel.’ ” 
The priest retorted: “You have no business to preach 
a new religion to our people. If you like that devil- 
ish religion, keep it to yourself, but don’t disturb 
the peace of your family and of the whole town.” 
The Protestant answered: “For this purpose I left 
America, to come home to enlighten my people with 
the gospel truth.” The priest said: “Go ahead, you 
will be sorry.” 

In the evening the priest stirred up a great riot 
around the house of the Protestants. About five 
hundred people gathered there and, throwing stones 
against the door and windows, cried out: “Down 
with the Protestants; death to the devils.” From 
this evening the Protestants became the objects of 
unspeakable persecution and boycott which lasted 
for nearly fifteen years. However, in the midst of 
these fierce persecutions, “the word of the Lord ran 
and was glorified.” Several families accepted Jesus 
Christ and in the course of two years a very substan- 
tial Waldensian church was organized. 


[91] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


The testimony of this first evangelical church in 
that region of Italy attracted a large number of 
people from out of town and many were converted 
to the gospel and established missions in their own 
villages. 

While a Romanist, Mario was addicted to card 
playing. One Sunday morning he began to play at 
nine o’clock and the game was continued until 
one p.m. His keen anxiety to win made him forget 
to go home for dinner. His family waited for him, 
but, growing weary, they sent his older brother to 
look for him. It did not take him long to find him. 
What a surprise it was for him to see his brother 
playing cards, and what a shock it was for Mario 
to be seen by him, particularly since he: had assured 
both his brothers that he had given up gambling! 
The only thing his older brother said was: ‘‘Mario, 
come home; dinner is ready.” 

When his oldest brother was informed of what 
Mario had been doing he reproached him so bitterly 
that the boy would have preferred a good whip- 
ping instead! Among many things, he said: “You 
are a disgrace to our family. Through your fool- 
ishness the Christian work we have started here 
makes no headway. Now, will you give up gam- 
bling, or would you rather be put out of the house ?”’ 
At this point Mario began to weep and, leaving the 
table, went into his bedroom, and, kneeling*down, he 


L92] 


Mario Discovers America 





took his Bible, laid his hands on it, and promised 
the Lord he would never handle cards again and 
prayed that He would give him strength to resist 
all temptations. For over two months Mario was 
tormented by dreams that he was playing cards and 
had broken his promise which was in the form of 
an oath. He did not know what to do! He could 
not rest at all, Every morning and evening he 
prayed to God to give him victory. Gradually Mario 
began to be more interested in reading the Bible and 
listening to the preaching of the Gospel. After 
three months he gave his heart to Jesus Christ, who 
gave him peace and rest. Now all the members of 
his family were converted. 

A year later both of Mario’s brothers left home. 
One had to serve in the army and the other returned 
to America, leaving Mario in charge of the “church 
which was in their house.’’ Because of his youth 
and lack of Christian experience Mario could do very 
little for the cause, but he did the best he could in 
holding the regular weekly services until he left for 
America. 

When he reached this country he went to live in 
New Jersey, where he joined an Italian church. 
Through the aid of the pastor he found work in a 
factory. His desire for learning English was so 
great that he began to take private lessons. During 
the same year his oldest brother was called to a 


[93] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


near-by town to do missionary work among the 
Italians. Mario often went to help him in his work. 
Later on he joined his church by letter. 

In the northern part of the city where Mario was 
residing an American Baptist church started a work 
among the Italians. A missionary was procured 
and set to work. To encourage the missionary 
Mario began to attend some of his services and tried 
to assist him in the Sunday school work. With the 
help of some American ladies a number of children 
were gathered in the chapel. Though Mario was a 
pedo-Baptist at the time, he was asked to become 
superintendent of the Sunday school. A saintly 
American woman became very much interested in 
him, and through her and the aid of her pastor 
Mario was baptized. After two years of labor the 
missionary left the city and the committee asked 
Mario to take charge of the work until another mis- 
sionary could be procured. At first he hesitated, be- 
cause he was too young and untrained to do the 
work, but as there was no one in view to take up the 
work he finally yielded and carried it on for six 
months. At this time the American pastor asked © 
him if he would give up his position in the factory 
and devote all his time to the work. Mario told him 
that he felt incapable of taking such a responsibility 
upon his shoulders, but he begged and advised him to 
accept the offer and put all his trust in God. Mario 


[94] 


Mario Discovers America 





prayed over the matter with great fervor and finally 
he accepted. Thereupon the American pastor began 
to give him lessons in the Bible and meanwhile made 
arrangements for him to attend a Bible School in 
New York. The missionary work prospered under 
Mario’s care and developed in a wonderful way. 

After seven years of successful work Mario was 
called to a New England state to take charge of an 
Italian mission in a large city. While conducting 
this mission work he attended the divinity school of 
a great university from which he received the degree 
of Bachelor of Divinity. In this state he started 
mission work for Italians in five different cities in 
which the gospel is still being preached and many 
souls are being brought to the saving knowledge of 
Jesus Christ. 

At present Mario is pastor of an Italian church 
to which is attached a Christian Center. Through 
the various activities of these two institutions a 
weekly average of 1,400, young and old, come under 
the influence of Christian teaching. 

One of the most interesting departments of this 
work is an evening school in which hundreds of 
newly-arrived immigrants are enrolled each year and 
are taught English and American citizenship. The 
greatest value of this work is not primarily the in- 
tellectual education which it offers to these people, 
but the religious atmosphere in which the school is 


Los] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





conducted and the Christian influence which the 
teachers exercise upon the pupils. Mario feels that 
if it were not for this purpose which is at the center 
of this work, the school would not be worth the ef- 
forts put forth, not because he does not believe in 
education, but because he believes that in so far as 
intellectual education is concerned it may be pro- 
cured in public schools. 

Mario is convinced that there is no real Ameri- 
canization without evangelization. He holds that 
since the American spirit is the product of Prot- 
estantism, anything foreign to that does not mix. 
He maintains that the famous “Melting Pot” of 
which so much has been said and from which so 
much has been expected has proved that the fuel 
advocated by some rigid social workers and civic. 
reformers for this melting process does not contain 
the energizing element to bring the Melting Pot to 
a liquefying temperature. The various heterogene- 
ous elements in America can be made homogeneous 
solely by the melting pot of the gospel. When a 
foreigner is evangelized he is brought into the realm 
of true Americanism. Any other melting pot 
has proved to be inadequate. Only in Christ there is 
neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircum- 
cision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free. 

With these strong convictions, Mario holds that 
the movement for “‘forced” naturalization, such as is 


[96] 


Mario Discovers America 


being carried on in certain quarters in America, is 
the most dangerous movement ever attempted in 
America. He says that to naturalize those who are 
unfit for American citizenship is a crime against the 
United States, for they receive a weapon which may 
be employed to fight and destroy the very purpose 
for which they are made citizens. Mario believes 
with a great Italian historian that the greatest gift in 
the power of any nation to bestow—the gift of citi- 
zenship—should not be thrust upon aliens, thus 
cheapening it beyond measure. Alienism is not an 
old suit from which the foreigner must be divested, 
neither is Americanism a mantle with which he can 
be invested. Americanism, Mario believes, is a life 
which must be born in the soul of the individual and 
must develop gradually in proportion as he grows 
into it. 

Mario’s passion for the salvation of his people 
and the preservation of American ideas and ideals 
has led ten young people—seven men and three 
young women—to study for missionary work. Two 
laymen went back to Italy to introduce the gospel 
into their native towns. Mario’s efforts and aspira- 
tions are centered in one thing—to bring the Italian 
people to the saving grace of Jesus Christ, with the 
hope that their faith, like that of their brethren of 
old, may once more be “proclaimed throughout the 
whole world” (Rom. 1:8). | 


L97] 


VIll 
Pari I 


Border Brotherhood 


(A Reliable Foundation for International 
Relations ) 


By A. B. Rupp 


Rev. A. B. Rudd, D.D., of Mexico City, 
is one of the missionary veterans of Latin 
America. He has given fifteen: years of 
service to Porto Rico and an equal number 
of years to Mexico. No one has been more 
courteous and considerate of the feelings of 
the peoples among whom he has been 
Christ’s messenger; no one is more trusted 
and loved than he by hundreds of Porto 
Ricans and Mexicans, who have recognized 
in him the best type of an American. 
Whatever he writes on Christian brother- 
hood comes from his heart and is the fruit 
of a ripe experience.—C. S. D. 


Neighbors as we are—the United States and 
Mexico—it behooves us to cultivate friendly rela- 


[98] 


Border Brotherhood 


tions. Neighbors who fail to do this must pay the 
penalty in many ways. The “I-will-have-nothing- 
to-do-with-my-neighbor”’ plan has been weighed in 
the balance and found wanting. A few years ago 
an American who lived not far north of the Mexi- 
can border said to me: “If I had my way I would 
build a high wall between Mexico and the United 
States and cut off all communication between the 
two countries.” To quote him is to condemn him— 
national selfishness run to seed! It is true of nations 
as of individuals—no nation liveth to itself. Inter- 
national developments in the last few years have 
clearly demonstrated this fact. Even from Euro- 
pean nations, our country cannot—dare not—hold 
itself entirely aloof, and much less from Mexico 
with a common boundary of more than 1,200 miles 
and common continental interests which justify our 
much-talked-of Pan-Americanism. A considera- 
tion of two simple questions may help to throw light 
on the Christianizing of our relations with Mexico. 

It is heartening to observe that the great masses 
of our American people who have never seen Mexico 
are thinking about the Christianizing of these rela- 
tions. And to one who crossed the border thirty-five 
years ago and whose heart has beat in close sym- 
pathy with Mexico ever since, the question we are 
considering has but one answer—it is sorely needed. 

Mexico regards our country with suspicious fear. 


[99] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





Past history does not inspire confidence. We are 
frequently spoken of as El Coloso del Norte (The 
Colossus of the North). Some time ago this matter 
was discussed in an editorial in El Universal, the 
leading daily of Mexico City, and the statement was 
made that in case war should come between the 
United States and Japan, the sympathy of Mexico 
would be with Japan, though she might not feel free 
to say so in a practical way. Should our future re- 
lations with Mexico continue on a par with those of 
the past, these fears and suspicions will not be re- 
moved, She will continue to regard us as a neigh- 
bor to be feared rather than loved and trusted. A 
Christianizing of our relations will establish confi- 
dence, change her attitude, and thus open the way 
for us to become a decidedly helpful neighbor. 

This brings us to the more important and by far 
the more difficult question to answer, “How can it — 
be done?” 

I would suggest that we begin by getting better 
acquainted with each other. I doubt if there are two 
countries in the world with so long a common bound- 
ary that know each other so little, that understand 
each other so lamely. Of course there is a reason 
for this; difference of race, of language and of tradi- 
tions. But a Christian nation must make an honest 
effort to rise above these things in dealing with its 
neighbor. When the American and Mexican nations 

[100] 


“dN NOW MOVE 
AHL NI SYAMYOM AUVNOISSIN NAWOM ‘NNOO ‘NAAVH MAN ‘HOUNHOD LSIldvd NVIIVII Lsuls 
‘IOOHOS AIMI€@ NOILVOVA ATIVG AHL AO NAAXCTIHD AO dNOUD V HLIM VTITANNVS OOSHONVUd “ATA 





Border Brotherhood 


come to know each other better, two things will be 
evident: first, that neither is as bad as the other re- 
gards it; second, that neither is as good as each other 
regards itself. Intimate mutual knowledge will go 
far toward bringing our relations with Mexico in 
line with Christian principles. 

The conscientious application of Christian princi- 
ples in the handling of diplomatic questions is the 
one great thing to be desired in our dealings with 
Mexico. Rarely, if ever, has the word seen a finer 
example of this than in the case of the appointment 
of Warren and Payne by President Harding to study 
_ with two Mexican commissioners in Mexico City the 
question of recognition of the Obregon government. 
Our procedure in. this matter has made a deep im- 
pression on Mexico, and the names of Harding, 
Warren and Payne will be held in grateful remem- 
brance in this land. After all, it is personal charac- 
ter, molded along distinctive Christian lines, that 
can bring about the desired results as to international 
relations. 

The intensifying of all departments of mission 
work—evangelistic, educational, medical—will un- 
doubtedly go a long way towards Christianizing our 
relations with Mexico; giving her the very best we 
have got—giving it in abundance and with a hearty 
good-will—lending a ready hand in the physical, 
educational and moral uplift of her millions. Just 


[ror | 


The Road to Brotherhood 





in proportion as our home-land Christians invest in 
Mexico’s redemption, will they be inclined to deal 
with her as a Christian nation should. It’s high 
time for us to see what we can put into Mexico, 
rather than what we can get out of her. 

A most important factor, in the problem we are 
considering is the attitude of our people toward the 
more than 3,000,000 Mexicans now in the United 
States. The press of Mexico is constantly publish- 
ing notices of mistreatment of her nationals in dif- 
ferent parts of our land. Of course, many of these 
notices are greatly exaggerated and not a few are 
doubtless false. Now it goes without saying that 
the presence of so large a number of Mexicans in 
the States may become either an asset or a liability 
when it comes to the question of the relations be- 
tween the two countries. They go north clothed 
with their racial virtues and faults. If our people 
can meet them and deal with them in accordance 
with the Christian principles we profess, a great 
point will be scored in favor of Christianizing our 
relations with Mexico. 

A few years ago, while attending the meeting of 
our Northern Baptist Convention, I looked up a 
Mexican Baptist who, when a lad, had been a student 
of mine in the Zaragoza Institute in Saltillo. For 
some years he had been established in business in this 
northern city and seemed to be doing well in his 


[ 102] 


Border Brotherhood 


adopted land. I asked him about his church rela- 
tions and his religious life. His reply, which pained 
me greatly, was about as follows: ‘““When I came to 
this city I at once began to attend the Baptist church 
and continued to do so for quite a while. Gradually 
I was impressed with the fact that no one took any 
special notice of me, and later I was convinced that 
I was not a welcome attendant in the services, and 
so dropped out altogether. As there was no Mexican 
congregation in the city where I might feel at home, 
I gradually lost interest in religious matters and 
now do not feel that I have any religion at all.” 

This young man comes of a good family. His 
father is a deacon of our church here in Mexico 
City, and his brother vice president of the traffic 
for the national railroad lines of the republic. Be- 
fore leaving the city in which he lives, I stated the 
case to the pastor of the church which my young 
friend attended, urging him to do what he could to 
remedy the situation. Later I wrote inquiring if he 
had succeeded in interesting the young man in re- 
ligious matters, but received no answer. I have 
given this incident as pointing out a way in which 
American Christians may lend a hand to Mexicans 
who live among them and so help forward the work 
of Christianizing our relations with Mexico. 


[103] 


Part II 
The Test of Brotherhood 


(Overcoming Racial Barriers on the Mission Field) 
By Cuarves S. DETWEILER 


Rev. Charles S. Detweiler, superintendent 
of work in Latin North America of the 
American Baptist Home Mission Society, 
has contributed many illuminating articles 
to the religious press in which he has set 
forth conditions in the “Land of the South- 
ern Cross.” A faithful ministry as a mis- 
sionary in Central America and Porto Rico 
and later his many journeys to the home 
mission fields under his supervision, have 
given him his justly deserved right of a 
hearing in matters pertaining to the local 
aspects of the great missionary enterprise 
carried on in Latin American countries. 


A recent writer has affirmed that while the early 
church rose above all divisions of race, color, or serv- 
itude, the modern church has never been able to 
maintain the same ideal, and then he added the star- 


[104] 


The Test of Brotherhood 





tling statement that “in practice the recognition of 
the tie of brotherhood between all Moslems has gone 
further than that between Christians since the first 
Christian century.” This is a challenge to our re- 
ligion, but a challenge that is being met every day 
on the mission field. 

Every successful missionary is one who has 
learned to overcome the subtle feeling of racial su- 
periority and official rank. He is brotherly, not 
paternalistic; sympathetic, not patronizing. He has 
had superior advantages and consequent privileges 
which he can only justify as he devotes himself to 
sacrificial service for others. If he is wise he will 
not apply to his helpers the term “native,” which in 
some languages has come to connote inferiority of 
race and civilization, but will find some other name, 
and if he has the spirit of Christ, he will do nothing 
to wound their natural sensitiveness, but will rather 
rejoice in their nationalistic aspirations. He will 
seek to develop a strong, self-respecting type of per- 
sonality, treating his helpers as responsible beings 
capable of intelligent self-expression; and he will 
eagerly anticipate the day when his leadership will 
be over-shadowed by the independence of the pastors 
and churches he has trained. 

A missionary is tested by his ability to adapt him- 
self to strange surroundings and uncongenial com- 
panions. He learns Paul’s secret, as brought out in 


[105] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


Moffat’s translation of Phil. 4: 12, “I have been ini- 
tiated into the secret of all sorts and conditions of 
life.” It is a common mistake of foreign residents 
to point out and dwell upon the failures and defi- 
ciencies of the native character. They say that the 
people are born liars, that none are to be trusted 
from the highest to the lowest, that they are all 
grafters, etc., etc. And some can say in addition 
many witty and cutting things about these national 
defects. We have had personal knowledge of sev- 
eral unfortunate instances where publicity was given 
to some critical observations of a missionary on the 
customs of the people with whom he labored. A 
certain young woman in Porto Rico who had the 
gift of writing bright and snappy letters gave her 
first impressions of her adopted land to a certain 
friend in the States. This friend thought the letter 
so interesting that she passed it on, and without per- 
mission of the writer it was published as a tract by 
the missionary society employing her. It soon fell 
into the hands of some Porto Rican students in the 
States who were greatly angered by it. They pro- 
ceeded to translate it and publish it in Porto Rico — 
with a bitter attack upon the author. The result 
was that for a time it looked as if this young woman 
would have to return to the States and that her use- 
fulness so far as concerned Porto Rico was ended. 

There is further word of Paul to guide one in 


[106] 


The Test of Brotherhood 





this connection: “It is my prayer that your love 
may be more and more rich in knowledge and all 
manner of insight, enabling you to have a sense of 
what is vital.” We shall never succeed in overcom- 
ing racial barriers and prejudices unless we have 
this insight of love. The writer of a recent maga- 
zine article in describing a trip through Japan 
brought out how loyal the American missionaries 
were to the people to whom they had come to min- 
ister. The writer confessed to having tried to bait 
them from time to time with some unfavorable re- 
mark concerning the Japanese character, only to see 
them rise promptly to the defense of their beloved 
Japanese. There are always some splendid points 
to be found in any people, and for these we must be 
on the lookout, seeking to cultivate them and to make 
the most of them. Every American will acknowl- 
edge that the Latins surpass us in courtesy and in 
respect for the personal dignity of others. It has 
been to many other Americans a matter of growing 
astonishment to note also the benevolence of the 
Latins—how they open their homes to orphans and 
how they care for one another in times of sickness 
and unemployment. I have known men to take upon 
themselves the burden of as many as from four to 
six children, the orphans of deceased relatives. For 
one who wishes to cultivate a better understanding 
between the races it is not difficult to discover in 


[107] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


those foreign to us traits worthy of our admiration 
and emulation. 

It was a wise precept of our Saviour, wherein he 
tells his disciples to let their light so shine before 
men that they, seeing their good works, may glorify 
their Father which is in heaven, The good works © 
which we are to exhibit are not our prayer-meetings 
and other religious services, which the world cannot 
appreciate, but our efforts in behalf of the children 
and the poor and oppressed. The ministries of the 
young women who conduct kindergartens, and day 
nurseries, and industrial classes for girls in the name 
of Christ and under the auspices of a missionary 
society are potent agencies in promoting Christian 
relations among different peoples. It is a delight to 
visit Ponce, Porto Rico, and notice how the local 
Rotary Club is cooperating with the Baptist mission — 
in the maintenance of a day nursery and a kinder- 
garten. For several years these have been conducted 
in rented quarters. Recently the Rotary Club erected 
a building expressly for these institutions and of- 
fered it for their free use. It was not a gift that 
was solicited, but was suggested by the club itself 
after seeing the good work accomplished in the 
Baptist day nursery. In San Salvador the Woman’s 
Society has recently opened a day school, and it has 
resulted in many expressions of interest on the part 
of the educational authorities of the government, 


[108] 


The Test of Brotherhood 


who are eager to learn of new methods from the 
American missionaries. The drawing together of 
the intelligent classes of the two peoples even in one 
point only is a contribution worth making to the 
peace of the world. 

In one of the Central American capitals it was 
my privilege to meet a German merchant, who, with 
his wife, is giving himself to active Christian serv- 
ice in connection with the American Presbyterian 
mission, Both of them are people of culture. The 
wife as.a volunteer and helper visits the mission 
hospital and school to play the piano for the daily 
religious services. He not only is an elder in the 
Spanish-speaking church, but also teaches a Bible 
class of boys one. night in the week, besides another 
one in the regular Sunday school. It is not usual 
for foreign Christians to throw themselves so heart- 
ily into the work of the native church. The chasm 
between them and the common people who make up 
the bulk of the membership is not easily bridged, 
and therefore it is all the more to their credit when 
they make themselves as one of them. 

When the Ecuadorian Minister to Washington 
paid a special visit to the offices of the International 
Health Board of the Rockefeller Foundation in New 
York to convey the thanks of his country for its co- 
operation in ridding the land of the yellow fever, he 
said that the Foundation through its benevolent ef- 


[109 ] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


forts was accomplishing more for international 
peace and goodwill than the labors of all the diplo- 
mats of the countries concerned. Said a medical 
missionary : “We have driven a stake about ten miles 
ahead of the interminable talk, the dust and the con- 
fusion of the discussion of international relation- 
ships and racial difficulties, and every inch of sub- 
stantial progress is an inch of approach toward the 
missionary position.” 


[r10] 


IX 
Highways to the Friendly Heart 


(A three-part story of a Christian Italian Boy) 
By Cort Hayne 


Rev. Francesco Sannella, the subject of 

this three-part sketch, is an Italian mis- 
sionary under appointment by the Ameri- 
can Baptist Home Mission Society, the 
New Haven Baptist Union and the Con- 
necticut Baptist State Convention, as pas- 
tor of the First Italian Baptist Church of 
New Haven, Conn. 
_ Coe Hayne, who tells this beautiful story, 
is on the secretarial staff of the American 
Baptist Home Mission Society and is the 
author of “Old Trails and New,” “By-Paths 
to Forgotten Folks,” “Race Grit,” and “For 
A New America.” 


Part I 


IN BONDAGE TO THE DEAD 
CENTURIES 


Nestling between verdant foothills of the Apen- 
nines, San Sossio, Baronia, was dozing toward the 


[rir] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


close of a September day, when the name “Protes- 
tant,” carried swiftly from house to house, suddenly 
brought the little town to life. A group of boys 
playing upon the outskirts of the town had first ob- 
served the stranger on the road that branched from 
the main provincial highway. His dress proclaimed 
him a clergyman, although it differed from the ha- 
biliments of the local ecclesiastics. The missionary, 
who was barely past his twenty-first year, had spoken 
to the boys in a kindly way, mentioning the name of 
Jesus. : 

Francesco Sannella, aged fourteen, and a leader 
among the boys of San Sossio, had heard members 
of his family speak of a missionary at Trevico, a 
neighboring mountain village, where some converts 
had been made, among them being one of Fran-. 
cesco’s cousins. Francesco had been the first to raise 
the cry of “Protestant!’ The boys followed the 
stranger into town and kept up their shouting as he 
passed from house to house to distribute tracts and 
announce the purpose of his visit. 

The street became crowded with people. The an- | 
tagonisms born of their traditions, combined with 
actual terror, transformed these peace-loving towns- 
people into a mob. A shower of stones fell about 
the stranger. Although he was the target of many, 
fortunately none of the missiles struck him. Fran- 
cesco, first to challenge the visitor’s right to enter 


[112] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 


San Sossio, now became his protector in a way. 
‘Moved by a vague notion of fair play he approached 
the missionary and advised him to leave the town at 
once. He called out to his companions to stand 
back and give the stranger a chance to defend him- 
self. Although he conceived the stranger to be in 
league with the devil, and therefore quite able to de- 
fend himself, he felt that he should be given leeway 
should he choose to fight back. A larger group of 
boys now followed the missionary as he made his 
way out of town, Francesco holding his companions 
in restraint. The boys were eager to continue 
hostilities if the stranger refused to move. 

The missionary retraced his way to the outskirts 
of the town, the boys keeping at a distance of about 
two hundred feet behind him, until he reached a 
large chestnut tree where he halted to read from a 
book. His composure, coupled with his occupation, 
infuriated Francesco strangely. He had been taught 
to believe that a Protestant missionary possessed 
superhuman powers that he could exercise in an 
evil way against those who engendered his wrath. 
The boy believed that the stranger was now plan- 
ning dire things against the village as he stood 
quietly beneath the chestnut tree. He voiced his sus- 
picions and advised an immediate attack. Armed with 
various missiles the boys charged upon the stran- 
ger, but again their avalanche of sticks and stones 


[113] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





failed to injure the wayfarer. What would have 
been the issue is uncertain had it not been for the 
interposition of a townsman who happened along 
just then on horseback. Thinking that the boys 
were up to some mischievous prank, with an inof- 
fensive stranger as their victim, he rode between 
them and the object of their attack, forcing them 
back. In truth, he was obliged to race his horse 
two or three times back and forth in front of their 
line before he persuaded them to let the man go on 
in peace. The latter hurried up the branch road to 
the main highway and was never again seen in San 
Sossio. But for months afterward there were those 
in the town who lived in fear of some sudden catas- 
trophe such as a severe hailstorm that might ruin 
the crops, or an earthquake, or a prolonged drought. 

The missionary driven that day out of San Sossio 
was Alfredo Barone of the Baptist Missionary So- 
ciety of London. The event was but one of a series 
of persecutions which he had been experiencing. 
While he did not return to San Sossio he continued 
his work in Italy determinedly and devotedly and 
later went to America to become a missionary of the — 
American Baptist Home Mission Society. 

When Barone was driven out of San Sossio the 
local postmaster was Liberatore Sannella, the father 
of Francesco. At the time of Liberatore’s marriage 


[114] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 


he had been retired from the army with the rank of 
Brigadiere det Carabimeri a Cavallo and a substan- 
tial pension. He had married well, his wife being a 
member of a powerful family in the community. He 
succeeded with his business ventures and enjoyed 
the confidence and friendship of his wife’s kinsfolk 
until he opposed their efforts to get rid of the mayor 
of the town by electing one of their own people. 
He lost the credit he needed at the time. Financial 
troubles, which were the result of the opposition of 
the influential men of the place, came on thick and 
fast. Francesco, being the eldest child, aided his 
father in the post office and in other ways be- 
cause of the failing health of his parent. He 
suffered acutely whenever he saw his father in 
one of his despondent moods, and _ ofttimes 
found himself unable to eat on hearing of some 
fresh calamity that had overtaken his father. It 
was at this time that he conceived it to be his duty 
to assume a substantial share of the responsibility 
relating to the support of the large family. In his 
extremity America beckoned. Relatives in Haver- 
hill, Massachusetts, promised to vouch for him at 
the port of entry of the United States. They said 
that they would give him a home until he gained a 
footing in the new land. 

Francesco will not forget the thrill he experienced 


[115] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


when from the deck of the incoming steamer he 
caught his first view of the land which meant for 
him unlimited opportunities to earn money to send 
to his dear ones in Italy. He was so excited that 
morning that all desire to eat vanished temporarily. 
Later in the day he regretted the omission of break- 
fast. As it happened, his first real contact with the 
people of the New World was connected with the 
question of food. Landing at the Battery from the 
boat which had brought him from Ellis Island, a 
bag was thrust into his hands which contained a 
small quantity of bread and pastry. He accepted 
the gift gratefully, concluding that here was evidence 
of the hearty welcome which he believed awaited him 
in America. But his happy anticipation of Ameri- 
can hospitality was rudely dissipated when a man 
demanded two dollars and fifty cents. Francesco 
was disgusted. 

“Why two dollars and fifty cents?” he asked. 

“For the bag of food. Come, shake loose!” 

“But I don’t pay you two dollars and fifty cents 
for this.” 

“Then you go back to Italy.” 

“All right, Pll go back.” 

“You pay me two dollars and fifty cents!” 

Francesco’s answer to the demand was the bag 
thrown in the face of the man. He was ready to 
go back to Italy, if necessary, but he would not be 


[116] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 


forced into buying something for which he had not 
bargained. This seventeen-year-old lad from Italy 
evidently was built of stern material. 

Food did not come to Francesco in the quantities 
he desired during those first trying months in Amer- 
ica. In Haverhill he was given a home by his cousin 
and for his lodging and meals he paid each week 
nearly as much as he earned in the shoe factory 
where he found employment. At the end of three 
months every fair dream which had been his con- 
cerning America faded. Long hours of exacting 
toil wrought havoc upon his poorly nourished body. 
One winter night he came home from the factory to 
be told by his cousin that there was no place for him 
at the table. For months this man and his wife had 
used every means in their power to dispel Fran- 
cesco’s love for his father, for they belonged to the 
faction that did not look favorably upon Liberatore’s 
family in San Sossio. 

The food that belonged to Francesco was placed 
in the ice-box and the ice-box was locked. Then the 
householders left and Francesco and a companion 
who shared his room planned how they might get 
food out of the ice-box. Francesco had been raised 
in a home where food had been his for the asking as 
long as there had been food in that home. Desperate 
now with hunger, he suggested that they use an ax 
to break open the ice-box, but his companion per- 


[117] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


suaded him not to resort to violence. They went 
out upon the street not knowing just what to do. 
They had no money. A cold wind blowing, they 
made their way toward the railroad station to seek 
shelter. 

Suddenly an utter darkness seemed to fall about 
Francesco. He staggered and would have fallen 
had the arms of his companion not been about him. 
The companion took Francesco to the home of a 
friend. Francesco was proud, too proud to ask for 
food, but the boy with him did not hesitate to sug- 
gest that an egg or two be broken in the coffee and 
this the hostess offered. When word of that night’s 
adventure reached San Sossio, Francesco’s mother, 
already in failing health, suffered a nervous shock 
which was soon followed by death. The news went 
to Italy in letters sent not by Francesco but by 
friends, who in former days had been servants in 
Francesco’s home in San Sossio. These ex-servants 
were outraged with the thought that one of genteel 
blood from their home town in Italy should be in 
dire want in America. 

At this time began an acquaintance which served — 
to give Francesco his first view of the friendly heart 
of America. Mrs. Radclif, who taught a night 
class in the public schools of Haverhill, patiently led 
him over the threshold of a liberal education. .No 
mechanical teaching of the English language this! 


[118] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 


His old world background, the history of his dear 
Italy, the customs, the arts, the literature, the best 
in Italy’s inheritance from her cultural past were 
used to create an atmosphere in which his love for a 
new world was given birth. His hunger for knowl- 
edge that he might be equipped to give America his 
best won the attentions of a wealthy resident of 
Haverhill who sought to adopt him. Francesco 
could have had a home and all that America offered 
a youth of wealthy parents. The door stood open 
and this boy closed it. In his innocence he believed 
that to enter this golden door of opportunity would 
be an act of disloyalty. Can one say that the boy’s 
judgment was faulty? 

One Sunday afternoon Francesco was on his way 
to a music hall, when he saw a man speaking to a 
little group of people in front of a store building that 
was being utilized as a mission. It was a shock to 
him to discover that the man resembled Alfredo 
Barone, the missionary whom he had persecuted in 
Italy one September afternoon. Upon second 
thought he concluded that inasmuch as Barone prob- 
ably was a devil, he could be at more than one place 
at a time. Yet his curiosity led him on. He was 
now his own master. There was no one to forbid 
his venturing a bit within the realm of religious in- 
vestigation. His natural turn of mind was that of 
a student. He resolved to visit the mission some 


[119] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





afternoon in disguise and observe what might take 
place there. 

Many times it had been told the boy that a Prot- 
estant minister used sorcery. He had never 
doubted the slander. He wanted to see Ba- 
rone summon the traditional goat from behind the 
pulpit. His boyish spirit of adventure urged him 
to be on hand when the goat, according to his belief, 
would carry Barone to the clouds to enable him to 
consort with the evil powers that sent misfortunes 
upon humanity. His curiosity overcame his fear, 
but he resolved to use caution. He considered it 
prudent to attend the meeting in disguise. So he 
purchased a false mustache and a little goatee, and 
from a friend he borrowed a coat and a hat. Thus 
disguised, he went to a shoe shining establishment. 
owned by his unfriendly cousin, thinking that if this 
cousin did not recognize him certainly Barone, whom 
he conceived to be in league with the devils, would 
fail to recognize him. He chose a seat near the door 
at the rear of the mission room where he sat half- 
way on his chair and kept a firm grasp upon the door 
knob. It was not his intention to run any risk. If. 
the scene that should present itself became too terri- 
fying he meant to have ready access to the street. 

Francesco now witnessed what seemed to him a 
strange thing. He heard a person praying directly 
to God. And during the missionary’s prayer Fran- 


[120] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 


cesco prayed. He made an appeal to the “saints” 
that he might not be brought under the power of the 
“devil” who was speaking in the name of Christ. 
He placed his hands to his ears that he might not be 
charmed and led astray by the man who was praying 
that the people assembled in the little room might 
see aright. And no goat came forth! Francesco 
could not well reconcile this circumstance with certain 
rumors he had heard. But he concluded that the 
“devil” had recognized him and in contrary mood 
had decided not to carry through the usual program. 
He must make his disguise more complete and make 
a second visit. 

The following evening found Francesco in the 
same chair near the door in a disguise effected by a 
black wig, a black mustache and a black beard! The 
disguise was complete, for naturally his features and 
hair were fair. No use! Even on this occasion the 
goat did not appear. He left the room with the 
memory of a prayer which set unknown, untried 
bells ringing in his soul. 


Part II 
THE OPEN ROAD 


The little Italian mission in Haverhill, Mass., ex- 
erted an influence over Francesco which he could 


[121] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





neither explain to himself nor resist. The following 
Sunday afternoon found him looking through the 
window to see what chance there was to slide in un- 
observed. His astonishment was great to see a well- 
dressed American building a fire in the stove. Ba- 
rone was not in sight and he soon learned that the 
man whom he had persecuted in Italy was out of 
town for the day. Francesco’s regard for the pro- 
prieties led him to debate with himself whether or 
not to offer his assistance as a fire-builder. The 
American was a clergyman and Francesco in all of 
his experience had seen no ecclesiastic perform such 
menial service before beginning divine services. It 
was work which servants were employed to do. 
Certainly this man had a desire to serve the people 
out in the street who, like himself, were not of his - 
race, but were aliens and total strangers at that. He 
hesitated no longer. He developed such close ac- 
quaintance with the Baptist minister that a friend- 
ship was formed that became a vital and determining 
factor in his life. 

Francesco will not forget the service he attended _ 
that day in the little Italian mission of Haverhill, 
Mass. The minister could speak no word of Italian; 
few in the audience could speak a word of English. 

There is a language of the heart readily under- 
standable. The American pastor used it and won 
attention. First he drew a large circle upon the 


[122] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 


floor and by signs conveyed the idea that it repre- 
sented the whole world. Then he drew the outlines 
of the Eastern Hemisphere and located therein 
Jerusalem. At this point upon his map he drew a 
cross and there he paused. He had reached a point 
where he had not the vocabulary to carry him for- 
ward. Silence came upon the meeting. 

“Now you battete,” he invited. It was his desire 
that the people should say anything they pleased, 
hoping that the symbol which he had drawn might 
start a religious discussion. 

Greatly to the minister’s surprise the Italians 
laughed heartily, though not in a way to offend. 
Later he learned that he should have used the word 
parlate (talk) instead of battete, which means to 
strike, or beat with the fist. The minister’s evident 
desire to help more than made up for his deficiencies 
as a speaker for an Italian audience. As for Fran- 
cesco, his interest in the mission had been increased 
by the whole-hearted efforts of this pastor to make 
himself understood. He was destined to wage bitter 
strife against his own growing interest in the gos- 
pel, as well as against the missionary, Alfredo 
Barone. 

That Francesco dared to attend Barone’s mission 
when Barone was present indicated a transforma- 
tion of some kind; at least some of his fears had 
vanished. The first time Francesco heard Barone 


[123] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


preach after the boy had abandoned the idea of 
attending the service disguised, he stood up at the 
end of the sermon and hurled at the preacher a tor- 
rent of questions. Did the preacher believe in papal 
infallibility, the efficacy of prayer to the Madonna, 
the power of the saints as personal advocates? His 
soul was in turmoil as he challenged the missionary 
to prove that the latter was not a heretic. 

Barone answered the boy kindly. ‘The hour is 
late and to reply to all of your questions would keep 
us here until morning. May I not see you after the 
benediction? I know that you are honestly trying 
to discover the truth.” 7 

After the service the boy resumed his conversa- 
tion with the missionary; he followed the minister 
all the way to the latter’s home. He refused the in- — 
vitation to enter Barone’s house through actual fear 
that some harm might befall him there. 

Francesco became very active now in soliciting the 
attendance of other Italian young men at Barone’s 
meetings. He even went so far as to resume friendly 
relations with the cousin who had locked away the 
food in the ice chest, in order that he might obtain 
his help in overcoming the Protestant missionary in 
argument. Seven Italian youths joined Francesco; 
the eight boys attended the mission regularly with 
the purpose of entrapping the missionary in his ser- 
mons and confounding him with their questions. 


[124] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 


The result was a Bible class; every night the preach- 
ing service was followed by Bible discussion. 
Francesco became a regular caller at Barone’s 
home. One night he was given a Catholic Bible to 
read. It bore the imprint “Venetiis Apud Nicolaum 
Pezzana, 1706.” In this book he found recorded 
the ten commandments and he experienced a thrill 
of dismay when he discovered that the command- 
ments as he had learned them in a catechism did 
not correspond with the commandments as recorded 
in the Bible recognized by his church as authentic. 
He noted that one commandment—the second—was 
a new one for him. That the teachers in his church 
should have omitted the second commandment from 
their catechism was a neglect which now aroused his 
indignation and suspicions. He began to do some 
thinking for himself. Why had the teachers in his 
church omitted one commandment from the cate- 
chism and to cover this omission made two com- 
mandments out of another? Was not the second 
commandment plainly recorded in their own Bible? 
How much further had these teachers of his youth 
led him in error? He determined to find out. Ba- 
rone advised him to read the Bible. The task once 
begun gripped him with its mighty interest to such 
an extent that he gave himself insufficient time to 
sleep. Dawn often overtook him before he closed 


[125] 


The Road to Brotherhood | 


the book to snatch two or three hours of slumber 
before the working hours began. This was a time 
of soul upheaval, of physical and mental unrest, of 
constant seeking for light and peace. 

One night Francesco and Barone talked of Italy. 
Barone spoke of his early missionary journeys and 
recalled his one visit to San Sossio. Francesco 
heard a recital of the encounter Barone had with a 
group of boys on the outskirts of the town and of 
his miraculous escape from injury; then Francesco’s 
regard for the missionary prompted him to tell of 
the part he had in the stoning of the itinerant 
preacher, as the leader of the gang. Wonderingly 
the boy heard Barone laugh good-naturedly. This 
fresh evidence of the kindness of the missionary’s 
heart touched the young immigrant deeply, the more 
so when the missionary called his wife into the room 
to request her to bring refreshments and sit with 
him and his guest while they talked of the old days” 
in Italy. 

Barone was wise and gentle in his instruction, 
realizing that ideas could not be rooted out of the 
thinking of this serious-minded Italian at once; the 
youth’s preconceived notions must be bathed in other 
ideas, richer in content and more life-giving in their 
potentialities. No sacred influence of the past was 
held up to ridicule. Like the teacher in the night 
school Barone recognized and made available the 


[126] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 


spiritual background that was Francesco’s. He as- 
sailed no past teaching but reinforced the good in 
that teaching by the fullness of the gospel as he 
had come to understand it. It may be that only the 
foreign-born wholly understand the foreign-born 
and in any transformation, socially and religiously, 
best know how to prevent the soul-life of a foreign- 
born brother from tumbling into the dust. Fortu- 
nate is it for the Kingdom when members of families 
long established on American soil have learned how 
to deal sympathetically with those who scarcely know 
how to spell out the simplest legends on our national 
signposts. The road to the heart of America is the 
road called Brotherhood, and it is paved with the 
gold of Christ’s gospel. 

Francesco’s seven young Italian companions be- 
came students of the Word. Barone’s Bible class 
became the scene of eight complete surrenders to 
the living Christ. 

The writer would be unfaithful as a narrator of 
the events that transpired during these constructive 
days should there be no record of the brotherly serv- 
ices of two pastors of Baptist churches in Haver- 
hill. Their good words and guidance during this for- 
mative period in the life of Francesco will never 
be forgotten. 

In time Francesco was baptized; in time his seven 
companions were baptized. They had come to scoff; 


[127] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





they remained to see and to choose the way that is 
Christ’s. 

In distant Italy Liberatore heard of his son’s de- 

parture from the traditions of his people and his 
sorrow was great. Francesco had sent the startling 
news, requesting a father’s blessing. 
“Dear Son,” wrote Liberatore, “to-day, January 
Ist, my soul has been made bitter by reading your 
letter that you and a good number of our towns- 
people who live in Haverhill, Mass., have enlarged 
the number of the Protestants. Bravo, Francesco! 
Even this curse has befallen upon my house; the 
excommunication! Woe unto you, my son; woe 
unto you! What good can my blessing, me you 
crave, bring to you? Why do you cause such sor- 
row to me? What ruin is upon my house! What 
wrath of God is against us all! What benefit can 
you derive from another religion? Only the perdi- 
tion of your soul! 

“T thought that something must have happened 
when you wrote me that you were in the company 
of a minister who delivered a speech at the com- 
memoration of the death of King Humbert the First 
before a large gathering of Italians. That minis- 
ter is he who once was in Galitri and used to go to 
Trevico. In the year 1895 he came even here in 
San Sossio where he was stoned. How had the 


[128] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 


devil brought him there? Good-by the fame and 
the glory that you have acquired among every per- 
son in our town because of your constancy in behalf 
of my family. What shall be my answer from now 
on—to the question that the people will ask me, 
saying, ‘Is it true that your son has forsaken you 
now?’ 

“Watch out, my boy, and consider. Let us walk 
in the ways of our ancestors. Let us go the straight 
road and good will come unto us. 

“T would like to know from you how the false 
and pernicious doctrine that you profess has been 
introduced. Certainly by Luther, that celebrated 
orator who, because it was denied to the priest to 
marry, went around preaching a false religion. So, 
my son, repent and believe the way we have taught 
you. 

“With what courage shall I send to you Salvatore, 
my other son? Shall I allow you to lead him into 
perdition with you amidst the false gods? My con- 
science will never permit me to undertake such a 
step. 

“My paternal blessing be with you.” 


To this letter the son answered: 


“My beloved father: 
“Why such ruin, such loss of honor, such loss of 


[129] 


The Road to Brotherhood | 


fame, and such acurse? Have I brought these upon 
our home? What faults have I committed? 
“Father, my beloved father, the name is so dear, 
so sweet, so precious to me, that it is forever on 
my lips with a profound sense of veneration. So 
precious is the name of father that it brings to re- 
membrance a name above all other names: our Di- 
vine Father of all. That heavenly Father who, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord, has taught me to 
love you and to help you. He has inspired in me 
simplicity, goodness, faith, hope and charity for all 
mankind. ‘That heavenly Father who, according to 
the teachings of Christ, is Spirit and Truth, and 
those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit 
and truth. It has been by His grace that to-day I 
am what Iam. What a change has come to me! 
“During the three years that I have been in 
America, and even when I was in Italy, my heart 
was vexed; in it hatred and vendetta were bred 
against those who have caused our downfall and our 
ruin. But God has come to my help. He is my refuge. 
I have laid all my troubles at the foot of the Cross, 
knowing that ‘Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.’ 
My very life is in His hands. I am so happy now 
that in the place of wrath, hatred and vendetta I 
have acquired humility and love and I am ready to 
forgive all our enemies. With this spirit, even 
though you forsake me, hate me, curse me and mis- 


[130] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 


treat me, I will endure it all in the name of Him 
who has died for me. Moreover, I will love you 
more, and do more for you than I have ever done in 
the past. If the people of San Sossio will denounce 
me, will curse me, will persecute me; and if the 
priests will hate me and excommunicate me, and if 
all my friends will forsake me, I will say with Jesus 
and with Stephen: ‘Father, forgive them, for they 
know not what they do.’ 

“Beloved father, tell me what do you know about 
my faith? It has taught me to love God above all 
things, to love Christ, His only begotten Son, and 
the Holy Spirit. It has also taught me to respect the 
Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with her all 
the saints who have been washed in the blood of the 
Lamb. Protestantism believes in the Bible, as the 
Word of God, but protests against the changes made 
by the priests who call themselves ministers of God. 

“Remember, father, that there was a time when 
the very church which you protect shed the blood of 
the saints who confessed Christ as their only 
Saviour. But the Christians died not in vain for 
they know in whom they have believed. 

“Your most affectionate son, 
“FRANCESCO,” 


[131] 


The Road to Brotherhood - 





Part. Tif 


LA VENDETTA: “WHEN HE SHALL BE 
AS IT AM.” 


Word that Francesco had aligned himself with 
the Baptists in the Christian forces at the Italian 
mission in Haverhill spread rapidly among Fran- 
cesco’s relatives and old country acquaintances in 
America. One day Francesco called at the home of 
a cousin who had refused all invitations to go to the 
mission and had used every means at his disposal to 
prevent Francesco from associating with Alfredo Ba- 
rone. Francesco desired to retain this older man’s 
friendship and regard. He knew that his rejection 
of the formal faith of his parents had come to his © 
cousin. 

“Ts it true that you have been baptized into the 
church of these Baptists?” asked the cousin. 

“Yes,” responded Francesco. 

The other man lost his temper, drew back his fist 
and struck the boy a powerful blow in the face. 
Francesco fell bleeding from mouth and nose. As 
he lay on the floor in a welter of blood his spirit 
rose above his humiliation; words flashed to his 
mind which he did not utter; they defined his a 
attitude toward his patie Datel 

“I will have revenge,” he repeated to himself. “TI 


[132] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 





will have my revenge when he shall be as I am.” 

In due time the man who thought it expedient to 
chastise a boy because his religious opinions and 
alliances differed from his own was led to attend 
Barone’s meetings. He heard the gospel of Jesus 
preached; he became a New Testament Christian 
and later, under appointment by the American Bap- 
tist Home Mission Society, became a minister of 
Christ among members of his own race in New 
England. 

In the meantime many letters passed between Fran- 
cesco and his father, the former ever declaring an 
undying affection for the unfortunate ex-soldier of 
Italy, the latter protesting continually against what 
he termed to be Francesco’s unfilial behavior, yet 
depending for the support of his family more and 
more upon the regular remittances from his son in 
America. With Liberatore in San Sossio were three 
sons and three daughters, the oldest a girl, being 
fifteen years of age; the youngest a boy of eight. 

At length the father yielded to Francesco’s en- 
treaties to come to America and spend the remain- 
ing years of his life with his sons and daughters, 
Francesco promising to support a home for all of 
them. At this time Francesco was twenty-one years 
of age and still employed in the shoe factory, doing 
piece work, where he had secured a job soon after 
his arrival in America. His work had always met 


[133] 


The Road to Brotherhood 





with the approval of his foremen. His desire to 
earn a large wage to meet family necessities was 
matched by his thoroughness as a craftsman. He 
had been advanced to one position after another un- 
til at the time he sent for his father and his brothers 
and sisters, he was in charge of one of the machines. 

Considerable difficulty was experienced by Libera- 
tore in obtaining his passports. The deputy prefect 
was quite indifferent to the ex-soldier’s repeated re- 
quests for certain signed papers until Francesco 
wrote to a prominent member of his mother’s family 
stating that he would arrive in San Sossio as soon 
as he could obtain passage if, after fifteen days from 
the receipt of his letter, he did not hear from San 
Sossio that his father had been permitted to leave 
Italy. The letter doubtless produced some effect, 
for very shortly after its contents had been duly 
noted, the deputy prefect was quite ready to sign 
the necessary papers. Liberatore obtained his pass- 
ports and left Italy with six children to join his son 
in Haverhill. 

For two years Francesco had been keeping house | 
with three other boys on a cooperative plan. When 
he received news that his father would arrive with 
his brothers and sisters he located a small house 
which he rented as his own separate establish- 
ment—a place that was to be home. He began 
fitting it up with such furniture as he could af- 


[134] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 


ford to buy. In order that he might not lose a day’s 
wages he sent a friend with fifty dollars to New 
York City to vouch for the newcomers and act as 
their guide to Haverhill. The friend, who was quite 
illiterate, failed in his mission, and Liberatore, from 
Ellis Island, wired Francesco that he was being de- 
tained and would he please come with money at 
once. 

Francesco’s first view of his father was through 
bars that prevented him from rushing to embrace 
him. The old soldier in rage was a pitiful figure; 
his children were a sorry-looking lot. Francesco 
assured the government officials that he was able 
to provide for a family; he answered all questions. 
Then occurred a happy reunion. The trip to Haver- 
hill was begun after Francesco had invested eighty 
dollars in new clothing for his loved ones. 

Liberatore was the first one to broach the religious 
question. A conversation was begun by father and 
son on the night boat bound for New England. 
Francesco will never forget that night’s vigil spent 
with his father, the open Bible between them. Lib- 
eratore again and again asked the young man how 
he could find it in his heart to forsake his father. 
As Francesco recalls the interview, the following is 
the substance of his answer. 

“My physical body is yours. Iam your son, But 
I have another Father to whom I must give an ac- 


[135] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


count of my soul. I can give spiritual allegiance to 
Him without lessening my affection for you.” 

Real home life began and Francesco resolved that 
he could not impose his religious views upon his 
father, who was wholly dependent upon him for his 
own and for his children’s physical needs. But he 
did not lessen in any degree his activities in connec- 
tion with the Italian mission. 

Barone was no longer in Haverhill, and the mission 
work was carried forward—was actually saved— 
by the eight young Italian converts who, in the be- 
ginning, had composed the gang whose purpose it 
was to confound Barone in his presentation of the 
gospel. Francesco was the leading spirit in this gos- 
pel team of eight and did much of the public speak- 
ing. | 

At about the time of the arrival of Liberatore it 
became the custom of the eight to meet half an hour 
before service Sunday afternoon in Francesco’s 
home for prayer and the singing of hymns. They 
called it a “preparation service.” 

Liberatore and the six children at first remained | 
in another room while the cottage prayer meeting 
was in progress, with the intervening door tightly 
closed. But on a certain Sunday afternoon Fran- 
cesco saw the door slightly ajar. Little noses were 
thrust through the crack. Francesco attempted to 
close the door so that his father might not be dis- 


[136] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 





turbed when his parent surprised him by requesting 
that the door be left open. Soon thereafter he dis- 
covered his father reading the Bible and learned 
that Liberatore had been doing this for some time in 
secret. Liberatore had many questions to ask about 
the Bible. He had happened upon the Song of 
Solomon. 

“Ts this the literature you have been reading?” 
Liberatore wanted to know. “It is sucha reproach!” 

Francesco had no treatise interpretative of the 
Song of Solomon to give his father, but in his own 
way endeavored to point out the spiritual values of 
that matchless poem. He begged his father to con- 
tinue faithfully the reading of the Scriptures. Soon 
thereafter the father gave his permission to Fran- 
cesco’s three brothers and three sisters to attend the 
Italian Baptist Mission. One Sunday evening after 
supper the old ex-soldier expressed a desire to walk 
with Francesco. The two strolled slowly from one 
street to another until Francesco paused in front of 
an old building that had housed a poolroom for 
many years; it was now a mission. 

“This is the place where I preach to-night,” said 
Francesco. 

“What, can you preach?’ queried Liberatore, 
curiously. 

“Yes, the meeting will begin very soon, 
the youth. ‘Pastor C’s people are helping.” 


[137] 


d9 


replied 


The Road to Brotherhood 


Liberatore started to move on. . 

“T am sorry,” said Francesco, “but I must leave 
you here.” 

Liberatore hesitated, saying that he did not Swish 
to go home alone. People began to arrive for the 
service; then Liberatore entered with Francesco and 
took a seat in the first row. There was much sing- 
ing; a prayer; then Francesco preached. It was a 
supreme occasion for the youthful evangelist. 

At the close of the sermon Liberatore stood up 
and faced the audience. He tried to speak, but could 
not. He knelt. 

“Thank God!’ Liberatore lifted both hands. 
“He has given mea son, I thank ve son. He has 
shown me my Saviour.” 

Liberatore’s faith was quickly tested. A delega- — 
tion of friends and relatives came to Haverhill from 
Boston with the purpose of urging Liberatore to turn 
Francesco aside from the new way which he had 
chosen as a disciple of Christ. They came only to 
find Liberatore an apostle. 

After living seven months in America Liberatore 
came to the hour when he knew that the end of his 
earthly career was near. He called all of his chil- 
dren to his bedside and placing his hand upon the 
head of each boy and girl, uttered a blessing for each. 
Francesco was last. 

“When I came to America,” said Liberatore, “I 


[138] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 


hoped to enjoy several more years of life. But I 
am happy to go to live with my Saviour.” 

Again the ex-soldier repeated the thought which 
he had expressed at his conversion. 

“T thank God for you, my son. Thank you for 
my Saviour. I will wait for you there.” 

Liberatore motioned toward the others. 

“From now on you are their father,’ he told 
Francesco, and then gave a very special command 
with regard to the welfare of the youngest child— 
the boy entering his ninth year. 

The Italian people came to the funeral which 
Francesco conducted, Pastor C. being there to help. 
The boy gre to the people the faith of his 
father. 

That night in the little home an Italian boy faced 
a difficult future bravely when he took up his duties 
as “father.”” He made a promise to his brothers and 
sisters that night which he has kept. 

“My life will be spent in giving you an educa- 
tion.” 

Every child remained at school while Francesco 
kept at his work in the shoe factory. At night 
Francesco studied English under the tutorship of 
the superintendent of the public schools of Haver- 
hill, the young Italian in turn teaching his instruc- 
tor the Italian language. He kept on with his 
Bible study, mailing his lessons to his good friend 


[139] 


Ihe Road to Brotherhood 





Alfredo Barone. He also carried on the work at the 
mission. ‘Two years passed. 

In what ways two Baptist ministers in Haverhill 
assisted Francesco to obtain a higher education, his 
courses of study pursued in schools in Boston and 
Springfield, Mass., cannot be recorded here. In 
America opportunities come to boys and girls with 
stout hearts and high purpose. Furthermore Fran- 
cesco had been a saver of money as well as a hard 
worker. | 

Francesco has endeavored to meet every family 
requirement implied in his father’s request that he 
should be a father to the brood left in his charge. 
Three brothers and three sisters owe their education 
to him. Two of the brothers are physicians; the 
other a lawyer; the three sisters are married, and 
happily situated in life; and Francesco himself ac- 
complished his education in the Oregon University 
and received the degree of Bachelor of Laws from 
that school. | 

After several years’ service as a missionary first 
under appointment by the Publication Society, and 
then under the Home Mission Society, Francesco 
made application to the latter Society for a year’s 
leave in order to engage in the wholesale candy busi- 
ness with his brother-in-law in Boston. 

Francesco had contracted some debts during that 
long campaign to obtain an education for himself 


[140] 


Highways to the Friendly Heart 





and his brothers and sisters. He wanted to liquidate. 
His income during that year’s leave was four times 
the amount of his salary as a missionary. He paid 
his debts. In 1923 he applied for reappointment 
under the Home Mission Society. His income for 
1923 would have exceeded $10,000 as a wholesaler 
of candy, but his desire is for other riches. To-day 
he is in charge of the Italian work in one of our 
great commonwealths where the living conditions of 
his people are unfavorable. 

When asked why he gave up a lucrative business 
to resume his work as a missionary Francesco has 
one reply: | 

“All that I am, all good things that have come to 
me in this life, I owe to home missions.” 

The years of earnest hopes and purposeful striv- 
ings are bringing their rewards. Francesco has be- 
lieved in patience and love and the ultimate triumph 
of justice and righteousness. In his pursuit of truth 
he has developed a ruggedness of character that has 
brought him unscathed through many dour adven- 
tures in democracy. He believes in America. He 
believes in his Christian American friends who know 
his strength and his weakness. He knows why he 
desires to spend all the days of his life in America, 
working for America—his America! in the name of 
Jesus his Saviour. 

“A me la vendetta’ (Romans 12:19). 


[141] 


xX 
Part I 


The Christian Center as an Influence 
in Breaking Down Racial Barriers 


By Joun M. HEsTENEsS 


This is the story of Christian Center 
work, the enterprise supported by the 
Home Mission Societies, from which eman- 
ate those types of Christian service whose 
vivid description and interpretation are 
shown in the foregoing stories of Christian 
brotherhood. It is of special interest here 
to note that there are now in operation 
under Baptist auspices no less than twenty- 
six of these Christian Centers, from which 
rays of living Christian light radiate to il- 
lumine the social and religious darkness 
which hangs over certain great sections of 
our cities. These institutions are worthy of 
our most generous support. 


“Hunky Town” is a well-known section of indus- 
trial communities, and they all have them, for what 
industrial city in the United States can furnish the 


[142] 


The Christian Center as an Influence 





necessary labor to man its factories and other plants 
unless it has within its boundaries a proportionate 
population of those who have come from other lands 
to seek a livelihood here. They follow the indus- 
tries, though in recent years we have witnessed the 
phenomenon of the industries following the labor 
supply. The average American has come to look 
upon the alien population of his town as a distinct 
disadvantage from a social point of view. That 
there are some reasons for this attitude cannot be 
denied. How easily, however, the so-called “‘for- 
eign problem” could be solved if the American 
populations in these cities would absorb the alien 
populations by allowing them to scatter themselves 
throughout the community, thus making it possible 
for these strangers among us to become more easily 
Americanized. This is rarely done, and for this 
and other reasons we have what we have come to 
know as Hunky Town. 

The foreign colonies are located in the least de- 
sirable parts of our cities. The housing conditions 
in these parts are the worst in town, the evil of this 
often being due to the existence of “company 
houses” owned and operated by the industries. Com- 
mercialized amusement finds a very fertile field for 
the worst in its line, for no one outside the district 
cares much what goes on there, and those in the dis- 
trict live as strangers in their own community. 


[143] 


The Road to Brotherhood , 


What we have come to know as civic pride is rarely 
found and, therefore, there is no civic spirit. This 
does not mean that these qualities do not exist in 
those of foreign birth, for experiments have taught 
us that they are there, but they seldom find oppor- 
tunity for expression. Having come from lands 
where for centuries these people have been the prey 
of unscrupulous clerics and governments alike, they 
are by nature very suspicious, and live unto them- 
selves. And when one goes thoroughly into the sit- 
uation as regards our own country, we come to find 
that even here in the “land of the free’ they are 
beset on every hand by ravenous wolves, most of 
them shrewd countrymen of theirs, others supposed- 
to-be respectable Americans. Under such condi- 
tions is it any wonder that lawlessness, juvenile de- 
linquency and contempt for religion should be found 
to an amazing degree? Not at all. On the con- 
trary it is rather startling how many well-trained, | 
industrious, upright citizens come from homes with 
such an environment as is here described. 

Most of these communities are nearly or alto- 
gether 100 per cent foreign born, yet an increasing 
number are seeking American citizenship. Our citi- 
zenship legislation of recent years has made this 
more difficult, and so in the best of these communi- 
ties only about one fifth of the men are citizens and 
very few of the women, except the wives of men 


[144] 


The Christian Center as an Influence 





who got their citizenship papers before the present 
regulations went into effect. More and more these 
people are becoming home owners, though a recent 
survey in a progressive foreign neighborhood 
showed that only one third of the people owned 
their own homes. Seventy-five per cent of the 
homes were without bathrooms. There would no 
doubt be a larger number of home owners among 
them, were it not for the fact that these people 
make up the lowest paid, unorganized labor in our 
industries, and most of them have large families. 
There is little or nothing left with which to buy a 
home, after food, clothing and shelter have been pro- 
vided for the large brood. As one Italian-born 
man said to the School Board, when plans for a 
larger school building were up for discussion, “We 
have children foreign style, not American style.” 
About two-thirds of the foreign population is 
made up of children of and under school age. This 
brings up a fact which is of vital importance to our 
nation in the coming generations. A great many of 
these people since coming to our shores have found 
it convenient and desirable to refrain from having 
any contact with religion in any form, giving as their 
reasons their utter disgust with the church and its 
clergy in the old country, and taking it for granted 
that the same conditions exist here. This will ex- 
plain the difficult task of our foreign pastors and 


[145] 


The Road to Brotherhood | 





should help us value their work more highly. The 
most serious aspect of this situation is the fact that 
the children of these church-haters are brought up 
without any religious contact or instruction, the far- 
reaching effect of which cannot be overestimated. 
Any effort that will actually soften their attitude to- 
ward the church of the true God, and will make it 
possible for their children to receive instruction in 
holy living is well worth while, and to these people 
in our neglected polyglot communities, our Christian 
Centers make their appeal. How well may be illus- 
trated partly in the following narratives which are 
of very recent occurrence. | 

Two of the leading foreign-born business men in 
one of our Christian Center communities were en- 
gaged in a discussion concerning giving financial as~ 
sistance to this Christian Center. One, a Greek of 
the Orthodox faith, was trying to convince his 
friend, a Pole of the Roman faith, that the Center 
had earned such support. ‘Now look here, Joe,” 
he said, “do you remember some four—five years 
ago how the children and young girls on this very 
corner where we now are standing would ask the 
young men on their way to the movie house to take 
them along?” Joe said he remembered this very 
well. “And,” continued his friend, “you no doubt 
remember the many troubles we had with these 
young girls because of the temptations their attitude 


[146] 


The Christian Center as an Influence 


involved to these young men without homes, lead- 
ing the boarding house life?” Joe agreed that this 
was true. “Now,” went on the friend, “do you see 
any of this going on any more, and do you hear 
much of young girls getting into trouble?” “No, we 
don’t,” said Joe. “Well, why don’t we?” At this 
point Joe was convinced and agreed that because of 
the coming of the Christian Center, providing a 
place where these girls might spend their evenings, 
and where they might find wholesome recreation as 
well as useful occupation, juvenile delinquency in 
this particular community had been almost wiped 
out. 

This Center, at least, had come in as a saving and 
conserving influence upon the young life around it. 
And this is true of most of our Centers. In fact, 
unless our Centers do this very thing wherever simi- 
lar conditions exist they deserve the name “Com- 
munity Center” only in part. 

In order to function properly along the line of 
outside community influence, apart from the inten- 
sive work done inside the Center, it is necessary to 
establish definite contacts: first, with the leaders of 
the foreign local community in which the center is 
located; and, second, with the leaders of the com- 
munity at large. This work devolves mainly upon 
the Director of the Center, but each worker must 
assume a share of it. What may come from such 


[147] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


contacts may be aptly illustrated by the following 
story, only a little more than a year old. 

The Director of the Center we have in mind had 
made it a habit to visit the leading merchants and 
bankers of his city to enlist their financial aid for 
the work. This meant spending considerable time 
telling them about the activities of the Center, and 
the effect of the work upon the neighborhood. These 
talks are like sowing seed. Some of it is listened 
to with complacency, some of it creates an amused 
interest, sometimes they are stirred to immediate ac- 
tion and become active cooperators in the work, and 
occasionally, some of it falls deep and bears later 
fruit, not only a hundred-fold, but now and then a 
thousand-fold. Here is a concrete example. This 
case concerns the leading banker in this city. 

His active cooperation had already been secured 
and, besides, he had pledged himself to future gifts. 
When the Director on one occasion went to collect 
his pledge, he was asked by the banker to sit down 
a few minutes, as he wanted to talk a little. 

“The work of your Center for the boys of the © 
community has impressed me tremendously,” said 
the banker, ‘‘and it has made me realize that we as 
a community are not doing enough for our boys. I 
own a big piece of land very near the center of our 
city, which I have held for many years for specula- 
tive purposes. I have here on my desk a letter to 


[148] 


The Christian Center as an Influence 


the mayor and city council, in which I make a gift 
of this land to the city, with the provision that it be 
made into a public ball park. Your work has in- 
spired me to do this.” The land was valued at 
$25,000. The city accepted the gift, spent almost 
another $25,000 on it, and to-day this is the finest 
ball park for many miles around. 

These stories, it seems to us, bring to mind the 
words of Jesus, “By their fruits ye shall know 
them.” The last story is practically duplicated in 
another industrial city, where the director of our 
Center, a woman, influenced the owner of a big tract 
of land, valued at $86,000 to set it aside as a public 
playground and ball field. This community has not 
been financially able to develop the project, but the 
land is available whenever the time is ripe to go 
ahead with it. 

We could go on and give similar instances of the 
community influences of the Centers in the fields of 
health, education, law observance, in some places 
law enforcement, civic improvements, and most im- 
portant of all, religion. Regarding law observance, 
it might be of interest to know how one Center han- 
dled the “moonshine” question. The Director of 
this Center had been requested by the mayor of the 
city to act as an “evidence getter’’ against the ‘‘moon- 
shine parlors.” The mayor was rather nonplused 
when told that could hardly be. He was assured, 


[149] 


The Road to Brotherhood. 


however, that the Director was thoroughly commit- 
ted to the Eighteenth Amendment, but had his own 
plans concerning what could be done in this com- 
munity for the observance of it. 

A local civic improvement organization had been 
formed at the Center, composed of the merchants 
near by, some of whom were “moonshine parlor” 
proprietors. The organization published a weekly 
paper with editorial offices at the Center. In this 
paper a systematic campaign was waged for the ob- 
servance of the Eighteenth Amendment, giving facts 
and figures and using moral suasion. | 

Before many months, the president of the organi- 
zation came to the Director with a plea to show the 
local organization the way out of the moonshine 
business, so far as this neighborhood was concerned. — 
This opened the way for special committees, public 
meetings, and, further, “dry” propaganda. A half 
dozen of the most flagrant violators were caught and 
heavily sentenced, some of the places being closed 
for a period of a year; and with the educational cam- 
paign which had been carried on constantly, the . 
time came when many of the “moonshine parlor’ 
proprietors closed their places voluntarily and instead 
went into the grocery, dry goods, or other legiti- 
mate business. In this way between fifteen or twenty 
“moonshine parlors” went out of business in this 
community in the course of twelve months. 


[150] 


The Christian Center as an Influence 


Thus the Center had accomplished more than it 
would if the Director had complied with the mayor’s 
request, and at the same time had lost none of its 
prestige in the community with any faction, but 
rather increased it. No Center ever aspires to be or 
become a radical force on any community question, 
either on the liberal or on the conservative side, but 
prefers to enter the field as an educational force, 
counseling the use of reason and good will. Ina 
very literal way the Centers make real the words of 
Jesus, “Ye are the salt of the earth.” The function 
of salt is to preserve, not to destroy. The Chris- 
tian Centers take this attitude toward the religious 
affiliations of the community. The words of Jesus, 
“I came not to destroy” might well be inscribed 
above the doorway of every Center. It respects the 
religious preference and affiliation of the people of 
its locality, keeping open house for every one who 
cares to enter, but laying special stress upon reaching 
those without any religious affiliation to which class 
the majority in a foreign community belong. 

Did not Jesus long ago point out that places or 
structures had no significance except as the wor- 
shipers worshiped in spirit and truth? 

This is the big task of the Christian Centers. To 
deepen, not destroy the religious life of their own 
communities, thus making true the words of our Sa- 
viour that He came to fulfill. 


[151] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


And now for a word about the actual accomplish- 
ments in regard to reaching these unchurched masses 
with the gospel of Christ. In the Center just de- 
scribed there is a Polish department, with a Polish 
minister in charge. Of all the Slavic people, the 
Polish seem to be the most difficult to reach, and 
naturally therefore any results in this work loom up 
large. For several years the work was carried on, 
at first with meager returns. But as the Center more 
and more demonstrated its object of ministering to 
the needs of the community, the work of the Polish 
minister became less difficult, and now he can grate- 
fully point to thirty-eight baptized members of his 
church, with a Sunday school and . congregation 
numbering more than a hundred and fifty. And 
the work of this Polish minister has just begun to — 
bear fruit. When financial conditions will permit 
us to erect in this locality a chapel for this Polish 
congregation, his work will grow in great strides, 
reaching not only the Polish people, but also the 
other Slavic peoples living there. 


[152] 


Part II 
Christian Center Activities 


By Mrs. ApaH H. Boyce 


The author, Mrs. Adah H. Boyce, is the 
missionary superintendent of the Woman’s 
American Baptist Home Mission Society 
for the middle western states. Mrs. Boyce 
spends all of her time in the field surveying 
the work and counseling with the mission- 
aries. Prior to her present activities she 
was a teacher in the missionary training 
department of Miss Nannie Burroughs’ 
school in Washington, D. C., and later a 
missionary among Italians in Trenton, New 
Jersey, under appointment by the Woman’s 
Board. 


After observing the weekly program of a Chris- 


tian Center one is impressed with the variety of 
service rendered, and with the happy spirit pervad- 
ing, but the deepest impression will be that every 
activity is planned for the purpose of character 
building, Christian character. To this end, religious 
instruction is constantly given, not merely by letter, 
but by making practical application to daily living. 


[153] 


The Road to Brotherhood | 





Every avenue is opened for this training—in the 
play room where self-control and recognition of 
others’ rights are emphasized—in the organized 
games where the participants learn that the error 
of one causes all to suffer and cooperation is the 
vital lesson taught—and in the industrial classes 
where mind and hand are trained to work together 
and joy comes closely upon work well done. Spar- 
kling enthusiasm and loyalty are engendered by con- 
tests between different groups in the same house, or 
by competitive games with other organizations, 
where fair play and honesty reign. All “fruits of 
the spirit” grafted into the lives of the children. 

Our missionaries are carrying on health work 
through clinics, nutrition classes and health clubs. 
The babies in the nurseries are trained in correct 
habits. Often the older sister says, as she brings in 
the little one, “My mother say not put Johnnie to 
bed, he no like to sleep,” but Johnnie goes to sleep 
and improvement is soon seen in the appearance of 
these babies of ignorant, overworked mothers. The 
kindergarten children, through partaking of milk 
and conscientious observance of rest periods, are 
overcoming early obstacles to health and well being. 
In rhyme and song and story, good habits are taught. 
Baby welfare clinics under the direction of our own 
nurses, or with the codperation of public nurses are 
an established part of the program. Here the babies 


[154] 


Christian Center Activities 


are under constant, watchful care. Rickets, which 
seems to prevail among the children born in these 
homes where the penetrating rays of the sun never 
enter, is warded off. Puny babies grow strong, 
and mothers take new courage as they note the trans- 
formation. Often the missionary takes the mother 
to the Domestic Science room where she teaches her 
to compound the formula and sterilize the utensils. 
Prenatal clinics are held, and in this connection the 
mothers meet in a social club while they sew on 
the layettes for the expected little ones. Those babies 
will not be wrapped in the bands which bind the 
arms and legs close to the body and baby has no 
way of using his limbs. The Eye-Ear-Nose-and- 
Throat clinics are held. The finest specialists in the 
city give personal attention. As the children learn, 
“Know ye not that your bodies are the temples of 
the Holy Spirit?”, right habits and proper care of 
the body become a part of the daily routine. 

For many years the sewing school has been the 
medium through which the children are brought into 
the Sunday school, but with the large numbers in 
our Christian Centers the club method is proving 
better. So we have clubs for Junior Girls, clubs for 
Intermediate Girls, Little Housekeepers, Little 
Mothers, Worth-while Girls, Jolly Girls, and I'll 
Try Girls. By means of the club motto, the devo- 
tional service, the Bible study and prayer, the girls 


[155] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


are rapidly developing into strong Christian charac- 
ters, assuring the next generation against many evils 
rampant to-day. Creditable hand work is done and 
testimony given that many garments for their own 
wardrobe are made, and mother is assisted in her 
task with the other children. In one neighborhood 
the influence of the Christian Center has changed 
the style of dressing of the girls and women, rather 
a remarkable by-product. As our work becomes 
better established we are able to hold our groups 
through. In one house four successful clubs were 
held last year, and, to our delight, they were con- 
tinued this fall with the addition of two more, mak- 
ing a total of more than a hundred girls coming in 
direct contact with our missionaries. The thought 
that “Religion is caught as well as taught” is surely 
borne out here as these girls grow in womanliness 
and Christian graces. One girls’ worker says she 
would place her girls in competition with any group | 
of girls in our finest American churches as far as 
character development and high ideals are concerned, 
and they would make a creditable showing. Their 
motto, practiced daily, is, “Myself third.” These 
clubs are self-governing, the girls are taught to pre- 
side and conduct meetings, and the business instinct 
is aroused by systematic keeping of minutes and 
financial records. From rude, hoydenish girls, 
womanly, helpful characters are emerging. A direct 


[156] 


“MYOM YWALNAD NVILSIYHD NI ANOS TvOIdAL “AXVSNaAdSIC 








Christian Center Activities 





influence is going into the homes through the girls. 
Not the least benefit is that which comes through the 
Domestic Arts Clubs where they learn something of 
American home life. It is a great advance when a 
foreign family gathers around the table to eat to- 
gether. The girls introduce this custom. The 
transformation of the homes is one of the encourag- 
ing features of the work. 

In three Christian Centers this year our mis- 
sionaries are conducting week-day Religious Instruc- 
tion Classes. They come from the public school at 
regular periods: In Dayton, Ohio, and the Bethel 
Neighborhood Center, Kansas City, this is a part of 
the regular school curriculum, while in Indiana Har- 
bor the classes are held before and after school. 
Just enter one of our houses and see the tables ar- 
ranged for the incoming class. Bibles, notebooks 
and pencils at each place. Then stop to listen to the 
discussions of such questions as the application of 
the Golden Rule to a game of basketball or to the 
temperance teaching which is sorely needed. Hear 
the children as they reverently pray. No flight of 
imagination is needed to picture the effect of this 
teaching on the lives of the pupils. 

The last member of the family to succumb to the 
lure of the Christian Center is the mother, but even 
her prejudice is melting away. Groups of women 
are gradually forming who will be the supporters of 


[157] 


The Road to Brotherhood 


our work. Gratitude for the improvement in the 
children, who are constantly being taught to re- 
spect mother and home, and real love for the mis- 
sionaries are the magnets drawing the mothers into 
the Centers. Every worker in the house rallies un- 
reservedly to the task of aiding these women. When 
the mother comes into our circle then the entire 
family pledges allegiance to our house, established 
“Not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” 

Social phases are constantly being introduced, club 
and class parties, entertainments with slides and mo- 
tion pictures, song-fests, and community or family 
night. The young people have trodden the well-worn 
path to the Christian Center, but now father and 
mother are finding the way as they see the welcoming 
light and hear the invitation, “Come in, and find joy 
with us.” Sometimes it is an impromptu musical, 
when stringed instruments mysteriously appear, and 
they are used to play the folk songs of the nation or 
lead in the singing. What a wonderful tie of friend- 
ship is welded when voices blend in song! As these 
new Americans strive to catch the words and join in 
the refrain of “Glory, glory, hallelujah,” a spirit of 
peace is born. At one family night a Greek woman, 
dressed in her native costume, demonstrated the 
spinning of thread and making of the fancy hose 
they wear in the home land. Knitting and em- 
broidery are exhibited. Thus timid souls are drawn 


[158] 


Christian Center Activities 





out to express themselves. Again, the tables are at- 
tractively spread and all surround the board, after- 
wards playing games. See them join in ‘Happy is 
the Miller,” Hungarian and Roumanian, Greek and 
Italian, German and Mexican, forgetting old-world 
hatreds and rejoicing in the new friendship under 
the Stars and Stripes. These gatherings have be- 
come regular features of the monthly program in 
several houses. 

Then the English classes! Here is the great op- 
portunity. Jew, Greek and barbarian all come, mak- 
ing their first contact with American life in the 
friendly atmosphere of the Center. A long, long 
trail from the misunderstandings and struggles that 
many of the “Strangers within our Gates” have en- 
dured. Happy is the newcomer who is told by one 
of his fellow countrymen of the classes where the 
teachers are our Christian women, and a real per- 
sonal interest taken in each man and woman! A 
worker or a volunteer sometimes cares for the chil- 
dren while the mother studies English. It is not 
too great a step when the lesson on duty to one’s 
neighbors is followed by a lesson on duty to one’s 
God. Witness the bowed heads and feel the rever- 
ence which permeates the place while these people 
of many beliefs and from many lands join in the 
prayer offered by our missionary in charge, and 
hear her simple explanation of the text which she 


[159] 


The Road to Brotherhuda 


has previously written on the board applying it to 
daily living, and realize that this is the finest kind 
of preaching. After the experience of last winter 
one group at the opening of the class this fall asked 
when the Sunday class would begin. The Gospel 
of John is the textbook studied there. Will these 
men and women hate America and Christianity after 
these experiences? 

To what does this all tend? To our distinctively 
religious services. In several places the foreign-. 
speaking pastor is working hand in hand with our 
missionaries, welcoming strangers as they are 
brought in from English class or community gather- 
ing. An important part of the duties of our mis- 
sionaries is to assist these pastors. For those of our 
constituency who are farther advanced a simple 
gospel service conducted in English is held Sunday 
evening. This is becoming more and more devo- 
tional. But the Sunday School is the great field 
rapidly reaching the garnering stage, for as De- 
cision Day comes, boys and girls are accepting Jesus 
Christ as a personal Saviour. Vesper services are 
being conducted by the young people themselves. 
Crusaders and world-wide guild organizations are 
linking the groups up with denominational life and 
stimulating giving. We could cite many individual 
young people in high school preparing for college 
or girls taking training for nursing, Christian sol- 


[160] 


Christian Center Activities 





diers ready to enlist for life service for their people, 
but we can only indicate the thousands of children 
under training. Could we visualize them we should 
see a vast army, representing scores of tongues and 
various beliefs, being sent out strong of body, clean 
of mind, and ready to become obedient, law abiding 
citizens. Much of this spirit has been caught as 
well as taught as the unselfish lives of our mission- 
aries are multiplied in these thousands of lives. 


[161] 


A. Prayer 


Ry June Bawapur (THEODORE FIELDBRAVE) 


Jung Bahadur (Theodore Fieldbrave) 
is a missionary among Hindus of the Pa- 
cific Slope, under appointment by the 
American Baptist Home Missicn Society. 


My God, Father of all nations, Thou hast made 
of one blood all the races of men. Each has an 
equal claim on Thee. Thou judgest man not by the 
color of his skin, but by the attitude of his heart; 
not by what he makes, but by what he gives; not by 
the way he talks, but by the way he walks. 

Father, Thou knowest the hopes, longings and 
aspirations which I have for my people and for the 
work which Thou hast entrusted to me. Grant mea 
clear vision and understanding; also, Thy wisdom 
and grace to carry on my work acceptable to Thee. 

Do Thou be with all the Orientals in this country 
and guide them in a manner that they may pick out 
for themselves that which is best in the American 
life. 

Arouse Christian America against the evils of 
race discrimination which is increasingly hampering 


[162] 


A Prayer 


the advancement of this kingdom among the Orien- 
tals in this land. 

Guide the conscience of the politicians who so 
often for the sake of selfish interest create undue 
race prejudice. 

Enhearten the preachers that they may boldly 
preach the mind of Christ regarding race relations. 

Control and guide the press to represent the Orien- 
tals with all frankness and fairness, and create in 
the hearts of the American people and their Oriental 
neighbors and brothers, a sentiment more friendly 
and brotherly and a love more Christ-like. AMEN. 


[ 163 | 


PUN ~ 


SAL oes 





ay 


Pe hat ol Sr, 
awe Ae 


=F 


45 i ; 
Ais, ? 


be 


fa e 





" 


i 








Libraries 
2/ 


i 


| 


ical Seminar 


' 


<@) 
CO} 
co 
- 
ial 
he 
N 
ae 
© 
2 a 
rm 


Princeton Theolo 








